The Way It Could Have Been  Part 2
by miraleeann
Summary: Horrible events have taken place...can Harry and Sirius survive them?   This story will most likely contain punishment in the form of spanking.
1. Chapter 1

**A few things first:**

**-If you haven't read the first story in this series, you may want to.**

**-I promise the chapters will be longer than this one, I just wanted to get this started.**

**-I do read every review and email I get and I really take advice/criticism to heart. I know my first story was a bit of a mess at times and I've thought about re-writing it but I really don't want to do that. However, I'm writing this one with all advice/criticism in the back of my head so hopefully it will be well written and if it isn't feel free to tell me…nicely.**

**-I started a tumblr (link on my profile page) which I literally update every day…sometimes more than once a day with Harry Potter stuff and other things…mostly Harry Potter though so feel free to check it out.**

**-Thank you for reading my story.**

**Miranda**

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It had been three weeks since that horrible night in the graveyard and Sirius had tried everything.

He had allowed his godson a full twenty four hours of silence in his room before his attempts had started and when they did, every one of them had been turned down.

First Sirius had offered to play some Quidditch to which Harry had replied with a simple shake of his head. A few days later he had offered to invite both Ron and Hermione over to spend the weekend. An offer that Sirius immediately had some regretful feelings about…after all, the trouble the three of them could get into in seventy-two hours could most likely drive him mental and yet at the same time he almost wished his godson would get into some trouble…at least then things would seem a bit normal. However, when Sirius approached Harry with the idea, Harry shrugged and then shook his head declining the offer. Sirius had suggested numerous times that the pair go down to the lake for a swim but Harry never wanted to.

Finally Sirius forced him to leave the house and took the boy to Hogsmeade for the day but Harry hardly seemed like he was even there with his far off look in his eyes and his lack of speaking throughout the day.

Of course Sirius had also tried to speak to him about the events that had happened but he was unsuccessful every time. Harry always insisted he was okay…that he wasn't upset about that any longer…that everything was fine.

It was obvious to Sirius that his godson was holding his feelings inside…a habit that Sirius knew from experience did more bad than it could ever do good.

He almost wished there was a way that he could help his godson force his feelings to the surface but at the same time he hardly wanted to push the child.

* * *

"It really is a gorgeous day out," Sirius forced a bright smile as he served himself and his godson breakfast, "I was thinking we could go visit with the Weasley's…you haven't seen them in weeks…I'm sure they would love it if we visited."

Harry's eyes didn't leave his plate as he pushed his food around with his fork. He wanted nothing more than to answer his godfather…to go see Ron, the twins, Ginny…to go back to his old self…but he knew it was too dangerous.

Slowly he shook his head, "I don't want to."

He didn't miss his godfather's sigh as he took his seat at the table.

"Come on Pup, it'll be fun I promise you."

Harry could hear the desperateness in his voice. It was the same tone Sirius had taken every time he refused to do something over the last few weeks. It was a tone that literally hurt Harry's heart to hear….still; he couldn't stop himself from causing it.

Harry shook his head, unable to form the words. The tears were already burning behind his eyes and he blinked hard forcing them back. He had the whole day to get through, the last thing he needed was to start getting upset now. Besides, his decision had already been made and although he didn't want to do it he knew it was his only option.

Sirius sighed once more and then the two continued their breakfast in silence.

* * *

It was shortly after lunch and Harry was in his room pretending to be reading his potions book. Sirius had never actually said that he could return to school in the fall but he never bothered Harry when he saw him with one of his schoolbooks either. And so Harry sat propped up on his bed, his potions book in his lap but his mind a million miles away.

His plan was all thought out except for the small detail of when he would begin to play it out. That evening of course but he couldn't decide if it was better to wait until Sirius was asleep or just until he went into his room for the evening, which he seemed to be doing earlier and earlier each night.

Normally when he planned out something like this he felt immensely guilty for several reasons. He hated leaving Hermione and especially Ron out of anything and most importantly he hated keeping things from Sirius or doing something that he knew was breaking one of his godfather's rules. He hated to disappoint his godfather in any way and he cringed to think of what Sirius would say or do if he got caught but this time he wasn't going to. This wasn't the same as following his godfather to an Order meeting or even going into the Chamber of Secrets…this was what had to be done and there was no way around that.

For a brief moment he thought of going to talk to Ron and perhaps convincing his best mate to join him but he quickly decided that it was a horrible idea…after all it would defeat the whole purpose completely.

* * *

As Sirius and Harry ate supper, the kitchen was a room of deafening silence.

Harry noticed that Sirius was constantly giving him small subtle looks when he thought Harry wouldn't notice. It was more than obvious that his godfather was more concerned about him than he ever had been in the past and Harry wanted nothing more than to assure him that he was okay…the problem was, he wasn't.

Over the past three weeks he had gone over various options in his head and none of them made a bit of sense to him in the long run.

He had thought about talking to his godfather and getting everything out in the open but talking wouldn't fix the situation. Of course it might make him feel better for awhile but he couldn't worry about how he felt right now.

He had thought about just pretending as if everything was fine and ignoring the pain, frustration, and guilt that was literally eating him alive. But again, in the long run it wouldn't do any good.

The option he had finally come up with two evenings prior as he laid wide awake in his bed was the only one that really made sense to him. He had to protect the people he loved.

* * *

Harry's bedroom door was left open just a crack and Sirius peeked through. It was early, barely even seven in the evening but Harry was already in bed, the lights out, the covers pulled up in a mound to cover his face.

Sirius knew his godson wasn't sleeping.

The bags under Harry's eyes told him that his godson wasn't getting any where near to the amount of sleep he should be getting…certainly not the ten or more hours a night he was lying in bed for.

"Goodnight Pup," Sirius spoke as he pulled the door shut.

He got no reply.

* * *

Harry reached under his pillow and pulled his wand out.

"Lumos," he whispered causing a small beam of light to come out of the tip.

The clock on his wall told him it was close to midnight and he figured that by now his godfather had to be fast asleep.

Slowly Harry slid out of his bed and reached under it pulling out a medium sized satchel before he grabbed a large pillow he had borrowed from the hall closet and slipping it under his blankets.

He had packed the satchel the previous day and stashed it under his bed knowing his godfather wouldn't look there even if he did come into his room for something.

His broom was downstairs in the kitchen propped up next to the back door…he wouldn't be taking it with him.

He had contemplated a dozen different ways that he could get the broom into his room but every one of them ended in Sirius realizing it was gone and Harry knew that to go down and retrieve it now would be risky. And even riskier than that would be to fly around after he left the house…no, his broom would have to stay put.

Slowly he crept down the stairs careful to miss the third one from the top which squeaked something horribly loud and the last one which had a habit of only squeaking when he really didn't want it to.

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs for a moment as he heard a noise above him.

Holding his breath he froze in his spot waiting to see Sirius appear at the top of the steps, half asleep and confused about what he was seeing but after several moments he never did and Harry decided that he had probably just rolled over or something.

Quickly and quietly he approached the fireplace, reaching up into the cup on the mantel and taking a handful of the silvery powder he threw it into the fireplace and watched as emerald green flames soared to life. Reaching into his pajama pocket he pulled out the single piece of parchment, dropping it onto the couch.

Quickly, knowing very well that Sirius had most likely stirred or woke at the sound of the flames, Harry stepped into the fireplace and in a clear but quiet voice he firmly spoke, "Diagon Alley!"

* * *

Sirius had been lying in his bed, willing sleep to come to him. Like his godson, he had hardly slept in the past few weeks. His worry and concern for Harry was taking over everything and he knew he had to do something soon before they both went completely mental. The problem was he didn't know what.

He found himself constantly trying to channel James or Lily in hopes that they would guide him in the right direction but apparently when he needed them the most his dear friends had decided to go on an extended lunch break.

He was yawning for what seemed to be the hundredth time when he heard the floo roar to life below him. Immediately Sirius jumped out of bed, grabbed his wand from his night stand, and raced out of his room. He was rushing down the hallway when he noticed that Harry's bedroom door was half open…he could have sworn he had closed that when he said goodnight.

Sirius quickly pushed the door open the rest of the way to see the mound of blankets piled up over his godson.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he continued down the hallway and then the stairs, his wand drawn, hoping it was simply Remus who had come through for a late night chat.

However, Sirius peered into the living room to find it empty.

Quickly and quietly he searched the other rooms on the first floor before he entered the living room once more.

It was then that he noticed the piece of parchment.

In his godson's handwriting were a mere six simple words…

"_I had too"_

"_I love you"_

Sirius gripped the parchment tightly in his hand before spinning on his spot and racing back upstairs to Harry's room. Without bothering to light the room he ripped the blankets off the bed in one quick motion to find nothing but a large pillow.

**TBC...**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for all the support! Enjoy! And tell me what you hate or love about it.**

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Very rarely did Sirius do anything without thinking it out first. When he was younger he always acted without giving it much thought and even as recently as two years ago he would have thought nothing of doing something without giving it a moment of thought before hand. All that changed when Harry came into his life though. These days he constantly found himself thinking things out before he did or even said something that he might regret. Still, old habits die hard and on occasion he did find himself slipping into his old way of being.

Usually when he needed help or advice or even just an ear to listen, he found himself in Remus' living room. Sometimes his feet carried him there before his brain even caught up with the journey…he supposed that was the way it was with old friends.

Tonight however, was a different story.

He stood in the small living room in complete darkness unsure of whether he should yell out for help or just head to Remus' as he normally would.

And then he saw the light coming from the kitchen.

Without giving it a second thought Sirius headed towards the light, half expecting to see his godson sitting at the table. Unfortunately though, that was not the case.

Molly Weasley was the one he found, sitting at the table with a cup of tea, looking more relaxed than Sirius could ever remember seeing her. In fact, he almost felt guilty for being there when she looked up at him and the relaxed look vanished from her face.

"Sirius," Molly said in a cautious voice, "Is everything alright? Where is Harry? Is Harry alright?"

Quickly Sirius shook his head, "Harry's gone…he's run away I think."

There was no mistaking the worried look that overtook Molly's face as she jumped up from her seat.

Sirius stood in shock for a moment as she rushed out of the kitchen but quickly sprung back into action when he heard her yell.

"Follow me!"

The two raced through the house and up the stairs. Molly did not pause outside of her son's room but pushed the door open immediately lighting the room.

"Ron, get up!" She spoke sharply shaking the red head out of sleep, "Now Ronald!"

Ron slowly opened his eyes and upon seeing his mother and Sirius standing over him he practically jumped into a sitting position.

"Where's Harry?" Molly asked before Ron could say a word about the situation.

"I don't know," Ron answered in a groggy but honest voice.

Molly raised an eyebrow causing if possible her face to become even sterner than it was and Sirius couldn't help but wondering if that was how he looked to Harry at times.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley if you aren't being truthful I promise you I will…"

"I am mum," Ron cut her off blushing at the threat that never even made it to anyone's ears.

"Have you spoken to him at all?" Sirius asked.

"No…why is he okay?" Ron's mind suddenly awoke enough to realize what exactly they were asking him.

"Sirius?" The voice came from behind.

Sirius and Molly turned to find both Fred and George standing in the doorway to their younger brother's bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" Fred asked.

"Is Harry with you?" George added as he yawned loudly.

"Harry has run off," Molly informed the twins, "Have either of you spoken to him?"

Sirius heard Ron suck in his breath at his mother's words.

The twins were known for making a joke of near everything in life but Sirius noted the change in their expression after their mother spoke. They looked genuinely worried.

"No," they spoke in unison.

"Go wake Ginny and Percy," Molly ordered causing the twins to run off in separate directions.

Seconds later the Weasley children appeared in Ron's small room.

Ginny and Percy were both looking completely confused by the scene before them and Sirius assumed that in their rush to fetch their siblings, neither twin had informed them of what was going on.

"I'm only going to ask this once and Merlin help you if you aren't truthful," Molly's voice was stern, "Have any of you spoken to Harry since he left school?"

Sirius watched as the five siblings shook their heads and he could see in each of their eyes that unfortunately they were in fact being very truthful. Despite the fact that Ron had honestly known nothing, Sirius couldn't help holding out hope that one of the twins or Ginny had spoken to his godson.

Molly turned to Sirius, worry now etched all over her face.

"Have you contacted Dumbledore?"

"No," Sirius answered truthfully, "We aren't going to."

"Sirius," Molly tried in a softer tone, "Surely you think…"

"No," Sirius repeated hoping he sounded stern and not like a man who was about to break down into tears over his missing godson, "If we don't find him by dawn then yes but I don't want to involve him unless it's absolutely necessary. I don't want the Ministry involved in this if they don't need to be."

"But Siri…"

"Molly…no."

Molly sighed as she eyed Sirius up and down before nodding softly.

"Alright," she finally agreed in a soft voice.

"Thank you," Sirius replied fighting harder than ever to keep his emotions at bay.

Molly turned her head to face her children once more and cleared her throat loudly before she did so. "Alright this is what we're going to do….Ron, Fred, George…get dressed you three are going to come look for him with us…Percy floo over to Remus' and let him know what's going on and tell him to get over here and then send word to your father at work and tell him that we are all out searching and you are home with Ginny….make sure he knows not to tell anyone else…Ginny can you contact Hermione and see if she knows anything?"

Ginny nodded quickly as Percy rushed out of the room.

"Thank you love," Molly smiled at her only daughter, "Go and do that and see if she has spoken to Harry at all."

Ginny ran out of the room as Molly turned to the twins and Ron, "You three have five minutes to be dressed, ready, and in the living room."

The last syllable had hardly left Molly's mouth when Fred and George rushed off to their room and Sirius hurried to keep up with Molly as she headed for the stairs once more.

"Do you have any ideas as to where he might have gone?" Molly asked.

"I haven't had a chance to really think about it," Sirius answered honestly as the two stood in the living room waiting for the boys, "My first thought was here but obviously I was wrong."

"This house is full of people;" Molly smiled sadly, "If Harry was here someone would know it."

"I'm just not sure…I know he wouldn't go to Remus', he knows he'd simply be delivered back home…my only suggestion is to do a process of elimination…he's been so upset…I haven't wanted to push him to talk but he's been so upset….if I would have just…"

Sirius was beginning to lose it and Molly quickly cut him off.

"Sirius Black don't you dare do that to yourself," she spoke in a firm but kind voice, "I love that godson of yours as if he were one of my own and if he were one of my own and he pulled a stunt like this I can't promise that he would sit comfortably for quite awhile."

"But I let him suffer in silence, I never made him talk to me, I could have…"

"Yes you could have," Molly cut him off abruptly, "But you didn't. You did what you felt was best for Harry…the child is not draft, he could have easily come to you and talked and he knows it so don't for a moment blame this on yourself."

Sirius smiled kindly in Molly's direction.

"We're ready," Fred announced as he and George entered the living room at the same moment that Percy and Remus came through the floo.

Remus appeared to be in a complete state of shock but as he opened his mouth to speak, Ron entered the room and Molly completely cut him off.

"Thank you Percy…can you go tend to your sister? Make sure she isn't too upset and see if she's heard anything from Hermione…oh and your father, make sure you notify him."

Percy nodded muttering his understanding as he rushed upstairs.

"Alright this is what we are going to do," Molly continued before anyone else had a moment to speak, "Fred and George I know you two can sneak your way around Hogwarts without ever being detected."

Fred opened his mouth to defend himself as well as his brother but Molly continued speaking.

"I want you two to go there and check the entire castle for Harry….make sure he isn't in Gryffindor tower or anywhere else…check Hagrid's as well…and if you get caught just make up some sort of excuse but do not under any circumstances tell anyone why you are really there."

George smiled a small smile as he and Fred headed towards the fireplace, "Sneak around Hogwarts without facing punishment?"

"Brilliant," Fred nodded.

"This is not a game," Molly shrieked as the twins stepped into the fireplace.

But the twins left without responding.

"Alright Ron and Remus you two should go check Hogsmeade and anywhere else you think he might go okay Ron?"

The red head nodded as he followed Remus into the fireplace.

Moments after they left Molly turned to Sirius.

"As for you and I…I suppose we should check Diagon Alley and perhaps downtown London and if we think of any place else…."

Sirius nodded in response as he and Molly stepped into the fireplace together.

"Diagon Alley," Sirius spoke in a loud and clear voice.

* * *

"Lumos," Remus spoke as Ron did the same.

The two walked down the deserted street towards The Three Broomsticks.

"Are we gonna check there for him?" Ron asked looking up at Remus.

Remus nodded still in shock at the reality that was surrounding him.

"I don't know if he would just sit down in there all by himself and have a butterbeer when he's running away," the red head observed.

Remus raised an eyebrow at the young boy.

"You don't know where he is…do you Ron?"

Ron shook his head. "No…I wish I did, I'd go tell him he's done for."

"Done for?" Remus asked.

Ron nodded, "Done for…Sirius is gonna murder him for sure when he finds him and if he doesn't my mum might."

Remus nodded in agreement as the two stepped into the inn, "You might be right about that one."

Ron's eyes scanned the room hoping to see his best friend but only seeing old, scrappy looking wizards and witches.

Remus nonchalantly pointed his wand towards the middle of the room and muttered a spell under his breath.

The two stood for a few minutes before Remus turned, beckoning Ron to follow him.

"What was that spell?" Ron asked once outside.

"It's used to summon a person…if Harry had been in there he would have arrived promptly at our feet."

"Wicked," Ron forced a small smile.

"It is," Remus nodded in response, "Though by the end of the night I'm not sure Harry will agree."

* * *

From the moment Molly and Sirius stepped onto the streets of Diagon Alley, Sirius was on the look out for Harry in every small corner and window. The shops were all closed down for the night but Sirius still couldn't help peering into windows hoping he would see his godson on the other side.

The thoughts that had been running through his mind since he had first discovered Harry had left had gone from bad to worse. He knew his godson was an amazing child but how long could he actually survive with Death Eaters not to mention Voldemort himself about somewhere. After all, his scar would surely tell anyone who bothered to look at him exactly who he was.

"The Leaky Cauldron is likely the only place still open," Molly observed as the two made their way down the road, "Aside from some places in Knockturn Alley...you don't think he would head there do you?"

"He better not have," Sirius muttered as he glanced down a long alley way hoping to see his godson but finding it to be completely empty.

"Does he have his cloak?"

Sirius mentally kicked himself for not checking to see if it had been in his godson's closet as he shrugged. "I didn't even think to check."

Molly heard the regret in the man's voice and felt for him. She knew what it was like to be a parent, after all, and she knew that when you were panicked over something involving your child you didn't always think of every thing that you normally would.

"No matter, if he is in The Leaky Cauldron someone there will know that he has checked in...It isn't as if he can wander the streets all night."

Sirius wanted to ask her what her logic was behind this statement but he didn't. He was far too grateful for all her help to take any of his worry out on her.

* * *

Fred and George had already circled the school twice as well as visited Hagrid's hut when they stepped into the Gryffindor common room.

"Harry?" Fred called out.

"If you're here get your sorry arse our here," George added as he headed up to the dormitories with his brother right behind him.

"I don't reckon he came to Hogwarts," Fred said as they found the dormitories completely empty.

"I'd agree with that," George nodded.

"I suppose we should go home, see if they found him."

"And if they did we'll have to wash and change," George replied with a serious face as the two headed back down to the common room.

"And prepare something nice to say," Fred nodded plastering a sad look on his face.

"Luckily it's a nice night out though."

"Perfect for his funeral," Fred nodded as the two made their way out of Gryffindor tower and back to the floo in Remus' office.

* * *

"Do you think they'll find him?"

"Oh course they will," Percy replied in a bored voice, "I've already told you they would."

Ginny sighed as she chewed on her bottom lip. "But what if they don't?"

Percy looked up from his book and glanced at his little sister, her face full of worry.

"They will," he repeated once more, "The adults that went are all highly skilled...they will find him."

"You promise?" Ginny pressed.

Percy didn't want to lie to her but he couldn't let her sit and worry herself silly either, so instead of replying he simply nodded once and then attempted to change the subject.

"You should be in bed you know…it's nearly half past one in the morning."

"I can't sleep while he is missing," Ginny replied.

"Mum will be cross if she comes home and you are still awake."

"No she won't," Ginny shook her head, "Everyone will be cross with Harry and no one will even notice that I am still awake."

Percy chuckled slightly as he went back to his book, "You do have a point there."

* * *

"Hey Professor Lu...I mean Remus...what if no one finds him?"

Remus had just finished another summoning charm, this time pointing his wand down a dark alley way.

"If we return to your house and no one has found him I would assume Professor Dumbledore will be contacted as well as the Ministry."

"Sirius said he wouldn't contact Dumbledore until dawn," Ron shared the information he had heard earlier.

"Professor Dumbledore," Remus corrected, "And did he?"

Ron nodded as Remus pointed his wand down yet another alley muttering the same spell.

"I'm sure he'll change his mind if no one has found Harry yet."

Remus spoke the words but he wasn't sure how much he believed him. He knew Sirius, he knew him like he knew the back of his own hand and he knew his mate could be as stubborn as an old mule when he wanted to be. He was still angry with Dumbledore, Remus knew that but still…Harry was missing and if Dumbledore and the Ministry could help then Remus would just have to convince Sirius that Dumbledore was most likely their best option.

"Perhaps we should return home," Remus suggested, "See if anyone has found him yet."

* * *

Molly and Sirius entered The Leaky Cauldron to find an old witch sleeping while standing behind the front desk.

Sirius cleared his throat loudly causing her to awake with a jump.

"We haven't any rooms," she said through a yawn, "Full tonight we are."

"We aren't looking for a room," Sirius replied, "I'm looking for my godson...Harry Potter, did he happen to check in tonight or have you seen him at all?"

The witch looked Sirius up and down, likely just realizing that the man before her was wearing a pair of plaid pajama pants and a sweatshirt, sneakers on his feet…he was the epitome of someone who had rushed out of the house.

"I have," the witch replied, "He's in room 400...he only just got here right after midnight. He seemed quite upset when he arrived too. I was quite bewildered when I saw him…not every day that a youngster comes in and Harry Potter at that but I thought to myself…"

"Thank you," Sirius cut her off as he ran towards the stairs.

With Molly less than a step behind him he raced up to the fourth floor. Quickly his eyes scanned the numbers on the rooms before they settled in on 400.

Without knocking he pushed the door open to find his godson sitting on the bed, his things scattered out on the quilt around him.

The relief that overcame Sirius' body was almost too much for him to bear. After all the horrible scenes that had played out in his head, there was his godson sitting calmly on a bed in The Three Broomsticks.

"Sirius?" Harry said in a shocked voice as he jumped up off the bed. "What are you doing here?"

Sirius ignored his godson's question as he knelt down on his knees in front of Harry and grabbed him by the forearms.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Sirius asked as he quickly let go of his tight grip on his godson and felt Harry up and down searching for broken bones or blood.

Harry shook his head. "I'm okay."

"Oh thank Merlin," Sirius replied his body nearly giving into his tears as he wrapped his arms around his godson and pulled him into a hug.

And then Sirius' relief was replaced rather quickly with another feeling.

In one quick movement he pulled Harry's upper body under his arm and held him tightly around the waist as he delivered a very hard smack to his godson's backside.

"How dare you run off like that!" Sirius lectured in an angry voice.

The sting that came with the smack assaulted Harry's bum the moment Sirius' hand made contact and Harry squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

This wasn't his fault and he wasn't going to cry.

And then two more smacks, just as hard as the first landed in the same spot and Harry couldn't help crying out though he tried his hardest to keep his voice as low as he possibly could.

Sirius righted the boy in front of him, aware that if needed to calm him self before he went any further. He wasn't surprised to see the tears already leaking from Harry's eyes. He knew how hard he had just walloped his godson. He had half expected Harry to go flying across the room and he probably would have had Sirius not been holding him so tightly.

"I would save those tears if I was you, you'll need them once I get you home." Sirius spoke the words causing his godson's stomach to literally drop.

Sirius stood back up straight, glaring down at his godson.

"But you don't understand," Harry began.

"Whatever it is you're about to try and explain to me, you can just stop with it," Sirius cut his godson off in a voice so stern he had a hard time believing it was his own, "I don't want to hear your excuses right now Harry James."

It was at this moment that Harry noticed Mrs. Weasley standing in the doorway and his face blushed deeply at the sight of her.

A small pang of guilt hit Sirius in the gut as he noticed his godson's embarrassment. He had broken a rule...an un-spoken rule but a rule all the same...he wasn't to spank Harry in front of others and in return Harry wasn't to give him a reason to feel the need to do so.

Sirius did feel badly about it but then...Harry had broken his part of the rule as well.

Sirius picked up the satchel from the bed and swept the items that were scattered about into it noticing at once that his godson's key to his vault at Gringotts was among the items meaning Harry had to have gone into his personal things to get it.

"Is this everything you brought?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded not trusting himself to speak.

Placing a hand on his godson's shoulder, Sirius walked him towards the door.

"I suggest you thank Mrs. Weasley for helping me find you not to mention waking her entire family and sending them out to search as well."

"Thank you," Harry said in a small voice, more embarrassment hitting him as he realized that all the Weasley's most likely knew just how much trouble he was in.

Mrs. Weasley nodded in reply but said nothing Though Harry could tell she wanted to say plenty. He had seen that look on her face before though in the past he had never been the one to cause it and he was thankful that she had simply nodded.

"We should go down and ask if we may use the floo here," Sirius spoke to Molly his heart in his stomach at the thought of what he was going to have to deal with when he got his godson home.

Molly nodded, "I should get home and tell the other's we've found him...I'm sure they're all beside themselves with worry."

And Harry couldn't help but blush at Mrs. Weasley's words as he felt his godfather guide him towards the stairs.

**TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3

**I am so sorry that this chapter took so long, school is brutal this week. However, come Monday I will be home for winter break for a whole month so expect more frequent updates : ) I also want to apologize for this chapter being a bit shorter but I didn't want to make you all wait any longer for it. And thank you all so very much for the overwhelming amount of support I've been getting…you have no idea how much it means to me…really.**

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Harry's left foot was still in the fireplace when Sirius began speaking.

"Straight to your room, it's far too late we'll deal with this in the morning."

Sirius knew that perhaps it was cruel to send his godson straight to bed without speaking to him about anything. He knew that if he were in Harry's shoes, he wouldn't be able to sleep with the threat of a spanking hanging over his head. But he also knew that his temper was still fuming. If he didn't take a break from his godson things were going to play out far worse than he imagined they would in the morning.

Harry looked up at his godfather shocked by the words Sirius had just spoken. He had figured Sirius was mad at him...possibly madder than he had ever been. But his godfather never just sent him away without even giving him a chance to talk. And besides that, as far as Harry was concerned, Sirius didn't even really have a right to be mad in the first place.

Sirius was standing just to the left of the fireplace, still looking furious, when Harry stepped out and moved to the right. Facing his godfather he looked up into Sirius' eyes.

"No", he spoke the word in a defiant voice.

"_Excuse me_?" Sirius' voice sounded deadly.

But Harry wasn't scared. He knew his godfather well enough to know how far he could push him. He knew him well enough to know that the worse that could happen most likely did just happen...back at The Three Broomsticks when Mrs. Weasley witnessed his punishment.

"No", Harry repeated, "You're not being fair at all!"

"Fair?" Sirius asked amazed by what Harry had just said. "If you want to talk about someone not being fair, you can consider how fair it was when I discovered you gone instead of sleeping in your bed."

"I didn't have a choice!" Harry said in a loud voice.

"Lower your voice Harry James!" Sirius warned, "You have stepped way over the line this time and there will be consequences for your actions now I suggest you obey what I have said and get yourself up to bed."

But Harry was done.

He was done feeling the way he had felt for the past few weeks now. He was done trying to keep everything inside. He felt like he was going to explode.

He looked up at his godfather.

"No," he spoke once more, "You aren't being fair and you know it! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I'm not going to listen to you tell me I'm not being fair, go to bed," Sirius ordered, "We are not going to get into this tonight."

"Yes we are!" Harry retorted with just as much attitude as he dared. "And you aren't being fair! You punished me in front of Mrs. Weasley! You can't do that! I don't even deserve to be punished!"

"And why is that?" Sirius asked. "Why do you think you didn't do anything wrong tonight?"

Sirius was ready for an explosion but surprisingly the question shut his godson up completely. He watched as Harry turned his head away.

"I'm listening," Sirius urged.

"I'm not going to tell you because your cross and you probably won't even listen" Harry replied, his attitude still dripping from his voice.

Sirius couldn't help the frustration that was building in him.

"Alright that's it…to bed…**now**."

Harry stayed silent but he didn't move either. If anything Sirius could have sworn he saw his godson dig his heels into the living room rug.

"Go on," Sirius said, "Up to bed and we'll deal with tonight and your attitude in the morning."

But Harry didn't move.

He couldn't do it. If he went upstairs now he wouldn't sleep and he knew it. No, Sirius was being completely unfair and he wasn't just going to walk away and take it.

Sirius glared down at his godson hardly believing the level of disobedience he was dealing with. Harry hadn't acted this way in quite awhile and Sirius didn't like it one bit.

"I am losing my patience Harry James," Sirius warned.

"I don't care," Harry replied, "You aren't being fair!"

"That's it, I am going to count to three and then…"

"You can count all you want I'm not moving until you stop being cross and list…"

But Sirius had reached his breaking point.

In less than ten seconds he was sitting on the couch…his godson across his knee.

Harry was still protesting, insisting that he hadn't done anything wrong…that Sirius was being unfair.

He paused for all of a moment, willing his temper to calm, before he removed the clothing that he needed to.

And then it began.

Harry's tears started immediately and by the fourth time Sirius' hand fell he was crying deeply and loudly.

As Sirius' heard his godson's uncontrolled weeping, all his frustration and anger faded away and within seconds he was having a hard time remembering why he was punishing Harry in the first place.

This wasn't about the spanking, Sirius decided. Of course it wasn't unusual for his godson to cry while being punished but Sirius knew from experience that for Harry to cry as hard as he was at the first few smacks was not normal, especially considering that Sirius didn't think he was being all that hard on him.

Sirius landed a fifth and final spank to his godson's bottom before he helped Harry stand.

He was met by a face covered with tears and mucus and his heart nearly broke at the sight.

Sighing softly to himself Sirius quickly re-clothed his godson's backside and as he did so Harry's upper half rested on Sirius' chest.

"Enough of this," Sirius said in a soft voice as he used one hand to rub his godson's back gently, "Talk to me Pup."

Sirius felt Harry's battered breathing against him as his godson muttered something incoherent into Sirius' chest.

Slowly Sirius moved him back just as far as he had to and then gently he cupped Harry's chin in his free hand and brought his face up to meet his.

"I didn't quite catch that," he said gently.

"I don't want you to die," Harry repeated the words in a broken voice through his tears.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his godson, clearly not following.

Harry sighed loudly as he removed his glasses and brushed the tears off his face with the backs of his hands.

Silently Sirius held out his hand and Harry handed over his glasses as he continued to brush stray tears off of his face, a pointless task as the tears were still falling.

Sirius took the glasses, placing them on the table next to the couch. Wordlessly he looked at his godson, waiting for a response…an explanation….anything.

"It was my fault," he finally muttered the words through a hoarse voice, "They killed him because of me and they'll kill you too if they want."

"Oh Harry," Sirius said as he wrapped his arms around the young boy and pulled him first into a hug and then onto the couch besides him.

Sirius turned his body so he and Harry were eye to eye.

"It was not your fault Pup…nothing could be further from the truth."

"It was Sirius...you're wrong…it was. It was my idea for us both to grab the cup. We went there because of me and he died because of me. Voldemort wanted me not him."

His tears were starting once more and Sirius quickly shook his head hoping to convince the child otherwise.

"Harry," Sirius said softly.

Harry wasn't listening though…he had already dissolved into tears once more, his face buried in his hands.

Gently Sirius wrapped his arm around the boy's body and pulled him closer and once close enough, Harry fell into his godfather's chest, sobbing quietly into the sweatshirt material.

Patiently Sirius sat allowing Harry to cry it out. Knowing that finally after days of torture they had reached the problems and that the only way to deal with them now was head on.

When he had initially started spanking his godson and Harry had reacted the way he had, Sirius had felt like a monster but perhaps that had been what his godson needed…not necessarily punishment but something to force the emotions out of him.

Several moments passed as Harry continued to sob and Sirius continued to hold his godson close to him wishing with all his might he could take all the pain from the child.

Eventually Harry's sobs quieted a sufficient amount and once they had Sirius cleared his throat.

"Harry," he tried again.

His godson sniffled loudly and Sirius took that as the response of a child who was unable to speak…he could remember being there himself many years ago.

"What happened with Cedric…that is not your fault Pup," Sirius tried hard to balance his voice somewhere between sounding firm and yet gentle, "It just isn't. And the last thing I want you worrying about is something happening to me or anyone else for that matter."

His godson sniffed once more, just as loudly as he had the previous time.

"What happened was a horrible tragedy Pup but I promise you, no one thinks that it is your fault. You must know that."

Sirius couldn't help the small grin that appeared on his face as he felt his godson shrug. It wasn't much…but it was more than a sniffle.

"All the people I'm sure you are most concerned about Pup…we all care about you so much. Do you have any idea in the world how worried we all were when I couldn't find you? And if we hadn't found out…do you have any idea what that would have done to all of us?"

Sirius felt a small nod against his chest.

Sirius sighed softly as he ruffled his godson's hair gently, "What happened was an accident Pup and I wish I could fix it…I wish I had never let you compete in that tournament but unfortunately I did and I can't fix it and so we just have to deal with it and move past it but…but we can't do that if you won't talk to me…dealing with it does not involve locking yourself away in your room for days on end nor does it involve going to bed before the sun has even gone down."

"Then how?" Harry's muffled voice came from Sirius' chest.

"We just do," Sirius spoke hoping he was saying that right thing, "We talk about it when you need to talk and we move on…dwelling on it will do no good Pup…trust me."

Harry was silent for a few moments before his hoarse voice spoke once more.

"I'm sorry I ran off."

Slowly Sirius lowered his hand from his godson's head to his chin and for the second time that evening he gently forced his godson to look him in the eye.

Harry was no longer crying though his eyes were quite puffy from the many tears he had shed and held a horrible look of guilt, no doubt from his actions earlier in the evening.

"Never again," Sirius spoke the two words in a stern voice.

Harry nodded in agreement, "I know."

"Your broom is on the ground for quite awhile," Sirius continued.

Harry's shoulder's slumped a considerable amount but he nodded once more, "I kind of figured."

"And tomorrow…"

Harry looked up at his godfather dreading the words. He had spent nearly every moment of the last few weeks in his room and though he knew he more than deserved it he was dreading being grounded to his room for the day or possibly even days.

"I expect you out of your room the entire day," Sirius flashed his godson a small smile "You are grounded to the downstairs with me."

Harry smiled through his tear stained face as he wrapped his arms around his godfather's neck, hugging him tightly.

Yes, Sirius decided as he hugged his godson back, they would be just fine.

**TBC...**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for all the support, I really do appreciate it! I'm going to try and update again this week but if I don't get the chance…I hope you all have very happy, happy holidays! I am going on vacation the day after Christmas for several days so I won't be able to update my story but I'll probably still update my tumblr (link is on my profile page). Enjoy this chapter and tell me what you love or hate about it!**

**Mira**

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It was nearly noon the following day when Harry joined his godfather downstairs. He had slept better than he had in weeks and as a result of his sleep as well as the talking he and Sirius had done the previous night, he felt better than he had in weeks as well.

"I figured you would be waking up soon," Sirius smiled softly as his godson walked into the kitchen.

It wasn't a lie or even an exaggeration. Not even thirty minutes earlier Sirius had noted the time and in realizing how late in the morning it was getting, he began making his godson a late breakfast or rather an early lunch figuring that if Harry didn't wake up by the time he was done he'd just go wake him.

Harry gave his godfather a small smile as he slid into his seat at the table.

"It smells really good," Harry replied and really it did.

For the first time since he had been home from Hogwarts he was truly hungry and the aroma of even the simple chicken soup his godfather was making was literally causing his mouth to water.

Sirius smiled once more as he placed a bowl in front of his godson. "And you slept well?"

Harry nodded as he picked up a spoon and helped himself to a mouthful of the soup thankful that although it was warm it wasn't hot enough to burn his mouth.

"Good," Sirius smiled, "Then after you eat we can discuss the rest of your punishment."

Harry looked up at his godfather with a confused face.

"You said you weren't mad."

"Actually no, I never said that," Sirius pointed out as he took his seat across from his godson, "I'm not mad though mind you…however you did really mess up last night and I can't just let it slide."

Though Harry realized his godfather did have a fair argument he couldn't help but point out that he hadn't exactly let anything slide.

"You punished me last night," Harry noted as he continued to eat.

"I suppose I did somewhat," Sirius nodded, "However I hardly think that taking your broom away for a bit and grounding you downstairs with me is suitable enough for…"

"You smacked me in front of Mrs. Weasley," Harry cut him off, "And then again at home!"

"And whether you want to admit it or not you still got off fairly easy in that aspect of punishment," Sirius replied.

"In front of Mrs. Weasley," Harry pressed the words not sure if his godfather knew how horrible that particular moment had been.

"If you are expecting an apology for my actions last night you are going to be hard pressed to find one," Sirius said in a gentle voice, "I know I embarrassed you but honestly Harry you are lucky that what happened was all I did in front of Molly."

Harry felt his face blush as he kept his head down focusing solely on finishing his lunch.

The two were silent for a moment before Harry spoke in a soft voice and as he did so he didn't raise his head even an inch as he was sure if he did his face was just going to burn right off from embarrassment.

"So you're going to spank me again?"

He heard his godfather sigh from across the table.

"I'm not sure…first we're just going to talk some and then we'll figure something out."

Harry really wanted to argue that it wasn't fair to punish him for the same thing more than once but he wasn't about to start arguing and add having a row to the things they'd have to discuss. And aside from that, a little voice in the back of his head was telling him that if Sirius decided to spank him ten more times or ground him for the entire summer he totally deserved it. After all, Sirius had been brilliant about everything and Harry had repaid him by running off and worrying the man to death…still, Harry was having a hard time listening to that voice no matter how much he knew it was right.

Moments later Harry finished his lunch and carried his bowl to the sink before returning to his seat.

He sat there silently, waiting for Sirius to talk…to say something, _anything_ to start the conversation.

"I suppose you can start by telling me about the key to your vault that was among your things last night."

_Anything but that._

Harry gave his godfather a pitiful look hoping that maybe if he looked pathetic enough Sirius would just let this all go.

"Obviously you took it because you weren't planning on being brought home quite so quickly and you figured you would need money, I understand that," Sirius continued oblivious to Harry's attempt to look pitiful or at least ignoring it, "However you went into my personal things to retrieve the key and I would like some sort of explanation for that."

Sirius' voice wasn't angry…it was actually the exact opposite. It was so calm that Harry was having a hard time believing that they were having a conversation that would actually end in his receiving more punishment.

"Well yeah I mean…yes I thought I would need money so I took it but I mean it is my key Sirius and the money in the vault is mine," Harry tried to defend his actions.

"Indeed it is and we've spoken about it several times and I believe that you have even agreed with me that you are not going to touch that money until you are done with your schooling and ready to do something such as buy a house for yourself. I wasn't even aware that you knew where it was being kept."

Harry thought back to less than a week earlier when he had literally ransacked his godfather's room to find the key…at the time it hadn't seemed like such a big deal.

He could lie. He could easily tell Sirius that he had always known it was in the back of his sock drawer. That he had seen Sirius put it back there way back in the beginning of the summer. That it hadn't taken him nearly fifteen minutes to find it.

Still if he lied he would know it and he would have to live with it. Besides, he knew from experience that getting caught in a lie would only make his predicament ten times worse. And aside from that his godfather's threat he had made the last time he lied burned in the back of his mind and he had no desire to learn what soap tastes like.

"I didn't know…I went looking for it."

Sirius sighed once more as he shook his head in a sad sort of way.

"Did you honestly think you'd be able to live at The Leaky Caldron forever? That we wouldn't think to look there instantly?"

Harry chewed softly on his lower lip as he shrugged.

"I expect a verbal answer Harry."

Harry heard the tone of his godfather's voice and knew Sirius wasn't kidding. His godfather really expected him to admit all his wrong doings…he wanted to know exactly what would have happened had he not found him.

"I was only planning to stay at The Leaky Caldron last night…I didn't think you'd realize I was gone till this morning and by the time you did I planned to be gone from the inn…I planned to be in the forbidden forest," Harry answered hoping to gain some points for his honesty, "I didn't think anyone would think to look there."

Harry half expected an outburst. He half expected Sirius to jump up and pull him over his knee that very moment…he half expected Sirius to start yelling or at the very least lecturing.

The complete silence surprised Harry though.

Sirius was sitting across the small table, his eyes lowered, completely silent.

"Look Sirius I just….I was so afraid something bad was going to happen to you if I stayed here….I really messed up and you….you are brilliant and I'm sorry…I really am, honestly…and whatever you want to do…whatever punishment I'll take it…I'm just so sorry."

"You have got to get it through your thick head that you don't have to handle your problems on your own," Sirius spoke the words in a tone that held both sternness and gentleness, "If you are scared or concerned you need to come to me Harry…I don't know what to say to make you believe that."

"I do believe it…I just forget sometimes."

Sirius sighed running a hand through his long hair. "What in Merlin's name am I going to do with you?"

Harry's green eyes met his godfather's grey ones as he shrugged gently.

"Dunno," Harry whispered.

Another sigh.

"I don't want to ground you for weeks on end…and fortunately I am not a Professor of any sorts and so I don't even understand the effect that writing lines or an essay would have on this particular situation or any situation for that matter."

Harry's eyes drifted down to his hands which laid in his lap as he waited for the inevitable sentencing. There was really only one route left after all.

"Last night I said your broom was on the ground indefinitely but I really think it should remain on the ground for the entire summer and…"

"But Quidditch! I have to practice and…"

"I'm sorry Harry but you should have thought of that before you ran off," Sirius swiftly cut him off, "And I said you were grounded indefinitely but I think a full week should cover it. You will be allowed out of your room during the week of course but you are going to help me get some things done around the house and if there is any attitude or misbehavior you will find yourself spending the time in your room…understood?"

Harry nodded once almost wishing his godfather had just opted to spank him again.

"Understood."

* * *

"Just ran off he did! I sincerely hope that Sirius continued the punishment when he got that child home and I hope he made him aware of the consequences of his actions as well!"

"I'm sure he did dear," Arthur replied as he sipped his coffee.

Arthur Weasley had only just returned home from work less than thirty minutes ago. The moment his wife had spotted him she had shooed their children outside to get some fresh air, placed his very late breakfast down in front of her husband, and immediately gone into a rant about the events of the previous night.

Of course the moment Arthur had heard that Harry had gone off missing he had been immensely worried about the boy.

He had always cared for Harry as if he were one of his own and he couldn't help the feeling of dread that had filled his body when he thought of the hundreds of horrible things that could have happened to the boy if he fell into the wrong hands.

Arthur had just about found someone to cover his shift so he could join the search party when he had received word from his wife that Harry had been found and was home safe and sound with Sirius.

Arthur wasn't the punishing type. Of course there had been that one time that the twins had nearly talked Ron into taking the Unbreakable Vow and there had been that moment when Ron had used his old wand long before his son should have even been touching a wand and broken it into nearly four pieces but aside from those two incidents he left the discipline to his wife. Honestly, if Harry were his child a good talking to and perhaps one swift smack to the bum would most likely be efficient, after all it wasn't as if the boy tried to kill someone…but then maybe that was why Molly handled these things.

"I have half a mind to floo call Sirius and…."

"Now love, Sirius is perfectly capable of handling his own godson…you've said yourself that you've noticed an improvement in the boy since Sirius has stepped in."

"Yes but Arthur I…"

"Love Harry," Arthur smiled, "I know you do but it isn't your place Molly...it just isn't."

* * *

"This is going to take all day," Harry said as he peered off the piles of boxes in the basement.

Sirius hadn't been kidding when he said he wanted Harry to get some things done around the house and the first order of business was going to be cleaning out the basement.

"Perhaps," Sirius worked hard to hide his smile, "It may even take most of tomorrow as well if you don't get started soon."

Harry sighed loudly as he pulled the first of the very heavy boxes down from the top of a stack as his godfather sat down on the edge of the stairs.

"You're not going to help me?" Harry asked in an exasperated voice.

"I'm going to supervise," Sirius smiled.

Harry scowled as he used all his strength to pull the box across the basement floor. "I really don't like you at the moment."

"I think that means I'm doing something right," Sirius smiled.

**TBC...**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: I'm so very sorry that this took so long to get this chapter up. My only excuse is that I am a lazy college student on winter break for another six days…I'll try and update again this weekend before I head back to school. **

**Enjoy this chapter! And please feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it.**

**Mira**

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Remus Lupin had woken up quite late or rather he considered it to be quite late. From the time he had been a child he had always been an early riser.

"Up with the sun."

As his father had always put it.

And he always had been. Even when he was a student at Hogwarts and he and his mates would be up until all hours horsing around in the common room, he still awoke bright and early every morning with or without the use of an alarm.

Today however, he had slept much later than usual.

Today when he finally rolled out of bed, the sun was already sitting high in the sky.

His thoughts instantly went to the previous night. To the utter terror that had swept through his body the moment he had heard the words that Harry was missing. To the complete relief that had swept over him when he had returned to the Burrow to discover that Harry had been found and was home and safe with Sirius. The boiling anger he had felt when he returned home and then had to restrain himself from floo calling Sirius to see how things were going. And finally to the confusion he had felt when his own floo had roared to life moments after he had arrived home.

Now however, it was well after noon and so after having a quick bite to eat Remus took it upon him self to pay a visit to his best mate and the young escape artist.

* * *

Sirius was still sitting on the bottom step to the basement watching his godson grunt as he moved an exceptionally large box across the basement floor to where Sirius had directed him to put it.

"You know," Harry noted as he stopped pulling the box and circled behind it and began pushing instead, "You could wave your wand once and this would all be done."

"I could also change my mind and you can spend the day sitting in your room," Sirius replied as he leaned his elbows back on the stair behind him.

"This is extremely unfair," Harry whined as he finally pushed the box to its destination.

"What's that?" Sirius asked. "You wish to sit in your room with a sore bum as well?"

Harry made a face at his godfather. "That's not what I said!"

"I must have misheard you," Sirius replied fighting to keep a smile off of his face, "After you move those last few boxes, I think the floor down here could only benefit from a good sweeping."

Harry made another face but he nodded as he began to move another large box.

"Sirius? Harry?"

Sirius stood up as he heard Remus' voice echo through the house above them.

"I'll be up in a moment," Sirius yelled up the stairs before turning to face his godson. "Finish moving those boxes and then once the floor has been thoroughly swept you can stop for the day."

Harry nodded once as he continued to push the large box across the basement floor.

* * *

"Moony," Sirius smiled as he walked into his living room to see Remus standing by the fireplace.

"Where's Harry?"

"In the basement," Sirius nodded his head in the general direction of the kitchen where the basement stairs were located before flopping down into his armchair, "He's being punished."

"Surely you haven't locked the boy in the basement? Strung him up by his toes as Filch would if he could have his way"

"Merlin no," Sirius chuckled, "He's cleaning the basement…a little manual labor never killed anyone and it'll give him some time to think about what he did last night."

"He's very lucky he came home with you last night," Remus admitted as he sat on the couch, "I was sure when I heard Molly say that he was found and he was perfectly fine that I was going to burst from the anger boiling in me. Harry is lucky he has someone as calm as you are."

"Remus I hardly think I…"

"No I'm being quite serious. There have been many moments over the past two years where I could have very easily given Harry quite the scolding had you not taken over the situation but last night was the first time that I've ever thought I could honestly give him a thrashing."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his oldest mate, "Last night was the first time? What about the night he and Ron drove the car clear across London or when his name came out of the goblet? I seem to remember you being quite adamant that…."

"The boy needed punishment," Remus nodded, "Absolutely. However I delivered him to you on those occasions but last night if I would have found him first I'm almost positive that I would have put him directly over my knee without so much as giving you a second thought and for that I am thankful that you found him yourself."

"And if you had I would trust you would handle the situation the best possible way," Sirius assured his mate, "Trust me Moony I hardly kept my temper in check last night."

Remus raised an eyebrow and nodded towards the hall behind Sirius.

Sirius turned his body to see his godson, looking exhausted standing behind him.

"The basement is all clean and swept," Harry said in a tired voice. He paused for a moment before opening his mouth again, "Hi Prof…Remus."

"Hello Harry," Remus smiled.

"Very good, you can head on up stairs and take a bath and get yourself into pajamas I'll start dinner shortly."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, obviously annoyed by the fact that he had just been told to bathe and put on pajamas and it wasn't even dark out yet, but after eyeing Remus in the room once more he quickly closed his mouth, nodded, and headed up the stairs.

Once the bath could be heard running Remus smiled in the direction of Sirius.

"Early bedtime is going to be part of the punishment? I remember you and James hating that."

Sirius shrugged. He and James had hated that particular part of punishments. It had always been a favorite of Mr. Potter's though. If the boys got into trouble for anything that required any sort of punishment, an earlier bedtime always went along with it.

Sirius could remember lying awake in bed hours before he would normally be there plotting more inventive ways to prevent getting caught the next time he and James misbehaved.

Come to think of it, he never once actually thought about what he had done wrong and why it was wrong. But then that was one of the main differences between his godson and him self wasn't it? Harry was a good kid who occasionally stumbled into trouble whereas he and James had been good kids that chased trouble down at every chance.

"I doubt I'll send him to bed all that much earlier," Sirius admitted, "Mostly I'm trying to appear tougher then I actually am."

"Now that's the Sirius Black I know," Remus laughed loudly.

"Is that why you came over here?" Sirius asked in an amused voice, "Simply to poke fun at me Moony?"

"No," Remus shook his head, his face growing much more serious, "I came over because I spoke with Dumbledore last night."

* * *

"Am I supposed to go to bed?" Harry asked as he finished the last of his tea.

It was just before eight in the evening and Harry was silently praying his godfather wouldn't nod.

Sirius had been quite throughout dinner though Harry assumed that was just part of his punishment. After all, he had really messed up, perhaps Sirius wanted to make dinner a less cheerful time as a result of it.

"Sirius," Harry said when his godfather didn't answer.

"Hmm?" Sirius looked up from the tea cup he had been so thoroughly examining.

"You made me take a bath and put on my pajamas real early tonight," Harry pointed out the obvious.

"Mmm," Sirius nodded his eyes gazed over.

Harry raised an eyebrow at his godfather, "Are you okay?"

Sirius nodded once but the truth was…he wasn't okay. A million thoughts were going through his head at once and he wasn't quite sure what to do with any of them.

He had almost wished that Remus hadn't delivered the message he had today. Hadn't last night been about the very problems that were arising today? How could he possibly explain this in a way that wouldn't cause his godson sleepless nights more than anything? And still it wasn't something he could keep from the child either.

After Remus had left he had entertained the idea of doing absolutely nothing about it. After all, he was a parent now wasn't he? Didn't there come a point where keeping himself safe for his child mattered more? But than if he walked away he would hardly be doing that either, at least by being involved he was involved with and doing something about keeping his child safe as opposed to simply depending on others to do so. No, turning his back wasn't an option and he had realized that after giving the idea a whole thirty seconds thought.

"So I'll just go to bed then?" Harry asked in a sad voice.

His godfather's demeanor was starting to remind him of the night he had gone into the Chamber of Secrets. The last time Sirius had spaced out like this he had been devastated by what his godson had done and the night had ended with Harry on the receiving end of the worst walloping of his life.

Sirius' head snapped up to see his godson picking up his tea cup, a look of confusion and sadness in his eyes.

"What?" Sirius asked genuinely confused by the situation at hand.

"Bed," Harry repeated, "You want me to go there early?"

"No," Sirius shook his head, "No…I thought about it but…no."

"Okay," Harry nodded the confusion still very evident in his voice and expression as he sat back down in his seat, "You seem mad…real mad. You 're still mad aren't you?"

"No," Sirius shook his head once more, "No I'm not. I promise you I'm not Pup. It's just…we need to talk."

Harry felt his body relax a bit as he heard his godfather call him by his nickname, if Sirius was calling him Pup than he truly wasn't cross, Harry was sure of that.

"What about?" Harry asked.

Sirius sighed softly before standing up and walking across the room. He reached up into a high cabinet and retrieved a tin of shortbread cookies. Both he and Harry's favorite after dinner treat, though it was a rare occurrence that Sirius actually brought them down. The last time had been the night Harry's name had been pulled from the goblet. It was at that moment that Harry had known without a doubt in his head that Sirius believed him and that he really wasn't in trouble for anything.

Harry looked up at his godfather as he opened the tin and set it on the table before sitting once more.

"It's this bad?" Harry asked as he took a cookie from the tin and held it into his hand, not wanting to bite into it before he knew what this was all about.

Sirius shrugged softly. "It's not good Pup."

Harry raised an eyebrow beckoning his godfather to talk.

"Firstly I want to express to you once more the complete and utter stupidity that you displayed when you ran off the other night," Sirius spoke in a stern voice, "Mind you I'm not implying that you are stupid Harry but merely that your actions were more than so…I understand your reasoning to some extent which is the only reason you are able to sit across from me right now without a cushioning charm however if you ever, **ever **pull such a stunt again I will take you over my knee for a spanking that you will never forget. Do you understand me?"

Harry blushed furiously at his godfather's threat as he nodded, "Yes Sir."

Though in all honesty Sirius' words didn't make complete sense…after all, Harry remembered every punishment he received from his godfather. Still, he wasn't about to point out Sirius' error in words.

"Dumbledore paid a visit to Remus late last night, apparently he got wind of your running off and was concerned about your safety and assumed Remus would have some information."

Harry looked up at his godfather with a confused expression.

"Obviously everyone would be concerned regardless but there was a cause for extra concern," Sirius paused for a moment clearing his throat before he spoke once more, "Dumbledore and the Ministry have every reason to believe that Voldemort is building up his army and preparing to go to war…much as he did some twelve years ago."

Harry opened his mouth to respond but Sirius continued to speak, cutting him off before he could even start.

"Now this isn't something I want you to worry about at all. Despite what you think no one is going to come after me…no one can. You know that this house is protected by the most powerful seals imaginable for someone to break through those seals would be next to impossible and even if they some how managed to do so the moment the seals were broken Dumbledore as well as The Order would be alerted immediately."

"But what if…"

"No Harry," Sirius cut him off, "It was not an easy decision to share all of this with you and I simply cannot worry about you running off or getting into any mischief as a result of this conversation. I simply cannot. You are safe in this house…you are safe with me…I need you to trust in that."

"I do," Harry nodded, "I trust you."

"Now the Order…we'll be meeting more frequently…I'm going to have to trust you to obey and…"

"No! Sirius if he is building up an army…if there is going to be a war than I want to fight!"

Sirius couldn't help the surge of pride he felt for his godson but he quickly shook his head, "You are far too young."

"I am nearly thirteen…I will be in a few weeks!"

"Shall we start planning your wedding then?" Sirius chuckled softly.

"You know what I mean!" Harry huffed.

"I do," Sirius nodded, "And I don't mean to poke fun at you Pup but thirteen is hardly of age to be fighting anyone…regardless of what you've done in the past," Sirius added as he saw his godson's face. "All I want from you is the promise that you will trust that I will keep you safe and that you will keep yourself out of trouble."

Harry nodded once as he sighed softly speaking before he took the first bite of his cookie, "I promise."

**TBC..**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry this took so long to get up. I'm back in school for my spring semester and my schedule this semester is awesome so hopefully I'll be able to update lots more. **

**As always thank you all so much for the support, I seriously have the best readers ever : )**

**Also I am in the market for a beta reader so if you're interested please message me and let me know, thank you!**

**Mira**

**

* * *

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Harry looked up from his Quidditch magazine and over at Remus who was sitting in Sirius' armchair reading the Daily Prophet.

It had been two weeks since the night Harry had run off and he was pleased that his week long grounding had ended and he had survived every chore Sirius had delegated for him to do and what's more he hadn't been sent to his room even once during that week.

A personal victory for Harry.

Things had gotten better around the house as well. Harry didn't feel nearly as sad as he had when he had first returned home for the summer. Of course he still had moments where he thought far too much about what might have happened had he not suggested Cedric grab the cup with him but Sirius was always there to listen and Harry really hoped his godfather realized just how thankful he was for that.

There was also the constant thought that Voldemort was back and gaining strength every day but Harry did his best to ignore that thought. Sirius had promised he was safe and even if everything else completely fell apart he knew he could always trust in Sirius.

He had woken early that morning and after breakfast Sirius had informed him that he had to go and meet with Dumbledore so Remus would be coming to spend the day at the house.

Harry had thought about arguing that he didn't need a babysitter, after all he was nearly thirteen, but he decided against it. He didn't mind Remus, in fact he was quite fond of his company and besides staying home alone all day would get boring quite quickly.

Harry's eyes drifted away from Remus and to the clock which hung above the mantel. It had been three hours since Sirius had stepped into the floo and left to speak with Dumbledore and all he and Remus had done was read.

Harry eyed Remus up and down.

His favorite professor was sitting in the armchair, his legs crossed, holding the newspaper up so that his face could not be seen. Every so often he would quietly clear his throat but aside from that he had been completely silent since he had sat down.

Too quiet in Harry's opinion.

He looked back down at his magazine as he wondered if Remus was cross with him.

Maybe that is why he is just reading, Harry thought to himself.

It made sense, after all since the whole mess that happened two weeks prior Remus really hadn't been around much.

For a moment Harry contemplated bringing up what had happened and even offering an apology but he decided against it. After all, perhaps Remus had forgotten about that all together and then he would be apologizing for nothing.

Still he had to say something.

"This is really boring," Harry finally said unable to hold back his feeling any longer.

Remus let the top half of the paper drop revealing his face which wore a soft smile. "I'm sorry Harry…I thought you were just content with your magazine over there."

"I was…I am…it's just maybe we could do something else," Harry replied.

"I suppose we could," Remus smiled, "I'm sure Sirius has an extra broom lying around, we could go for a fly if you'd like."

Harry eyed Remus for a moment trying to figure out what he was playing at.

Surely Sirius would have told him that he wasn't allowed to fly….wouldn't he? But maybe he didn't, after all Harry hadn't heard him say anything about it…come to think of it he had never heard Sirius say anything to Remus about any of his punishments…ever. Still Remus must know…perhaps this was just a test to see what Harry would say. But then again maybe it wasn't…maybe Remus actually had no idea…maybe he could go fly with him for just a little bit.

Harry's mind began to formulate an idea. He could fly with Remus for less than an hour and then they could come back inside and play a game of chess or something and then when Sirius got back he could make a big deal out of the chess game so Remus wouldn't mention the flying…in fact he would probably forget they even flew at all.

Harry opened his mouth to tell Remus that yes, he would love to fly for a bit but instead he shook his head.

"I'm not allowed…Sirius grounded me from my broom for the summer," he could feel his cheeks blush slightly as he spoke the words.

Who was he trying to kid? Of course Sirius would find out if he took his broom out and then not only would Sirius be cross but he would be disappointed and Harry was done with making his godfather feel either of those things.

"I'm sorry," Remus replied and he did look sorry, "Had I known I wouldn't have suggested it."

"It's okay," Harry shrugged.

"I should probably make us some lunch," Remus smiled as he stood up and then he paused as if he was thinking. "Harry, are you simply grounded from your broom or are you restricted to the house as well?"

"Just my broom, I was grounded to the house but only for a week and that's over," Harry admitted disappointed that Remus hadn't suggested something other than making lunch.

"Then perhaps you would care to go out for lunch...I was thinking maybe The Three Broomsticks."

"Really?" Harry asked as he jumped up off the couch abandoning his magazine on the cushions, "We can?"

"I don't see why not," Remus smiled warmly, "Sirius should be gone for at least another hour or so and I'm sure he wouldn't mind in the least."

"He wouldn't," Harry shook his head in agreement.

"Then it's settled," Remus smiled, "Go get some shoes on and we'll go."

* * *

"Are you telling me that the property isn't safe?"

Sirius was sitting in Dumbledore's office leaning forward in his chair, his elbows rested on his knees, his long hair falling out from behind his ears every few moments causing him to hastily push it back once more.

When he had received the letter from Dumbledore early that morning requesting that he meet with him he had wanted nothing more than to ignore it completely or if not ignore it than send back his own letter telling the old coot exactly why he wasn't going to meet with him however, Remus managed to talk him out of both ideas and into going to the meeting.

"_Think of Harry Padfoot."_

Remus' words rang in Sirius' head every time he had wanted to explode during the meeting so far.

"Not at all," Dumbledore shook his head, "The property is perfectly safe as is anywhere else you would take Harry at the moment what I'm saying is that in the near future that may change and therefore I would like to be permitted to add several more spells to the boarder of the property, as a precaution."

"That would be fine," Sirius nodded once.

"I also think it wise for Harry to continue his lessons in occlumency, I know it is summer but Severus has agreed to…"

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Sirius cut the headmaster off, "After everything Harry has been through recently…I'm just not sure that having lessons, especially those lessons would be a good idea right now."

Dumbledore nodded softly.

It was obvious to Sirius by the look in the man's eye that he did not agree in the least but he said nothing.

"I can understand the extra spells on the house…the spells on Remus' house and the Burrow even in case of the situation becoming worse but he is just starting to get back to his old self, the last thing I am going to do is force him to have lessons in the summer with Snape of all…"

"I understand Sirius," Dumbledore interrupted, "Perhaps when the school year starts."

"Perhaps," Sirius agreed.

Dumbledore sighed softly as he offered a small smile to Sirius.

"I know I am not your favorite person these days and I hardly blame you for that…"

"I wouldn't say…" Sirius began.

"No," the older man shook his head, "I'm not and as I said I don't blame you for feeling that way. You trusted me to keep him safe and I failed you….I am sorry for that Sirius."

He paused for a moment collecting his thoughts before he spoke once more.

"Please believe me when I tell you that my main concern is Harry's safety. The future that he will have is not an easy one and I fully plan on doing everything in my power to attempt to make it as easy as I possibly can for him. Fortunately at the present time he is still young enough to keep within arms reach and I promise you that every thought I have of Harry is of keeping him safe."

"I appreciate that…both Harry and I do," Sirius spoke in a low voice.

* * *

"You'd really do that?" Harry asked as he took a heaping spoonful of his ice cream.

"I wouldn't mind in the least," Remus smiled, "I've always felt that Defense is an exceptionally important subject and you are quite talented at it."

"But I thought I couldn't do magic away from Hogwarts," Harry replied once he swallowed the mouthful of ice cream.

"Well you can't but I think if I spoke with Professor Dumbledore he might allow you and I to use the Defense classroom over the summertime," Remus smiled.

"Wicked," Harry smiled, "But do you think Sirius would let me? He said I might not even be going back to Hogwarts."

Remus smiled softly at the boy in front of him with the worried face that had suddenly appeared out of no where.

"If Dumbledore says it is alright I will speak to Sirius myself about it, how's that?"

Harry thought back to a few months previously when he had asked Hagrid to go speak to his godfather about the Tournament.

"That would be wicked Remus it really would, just make sure Sirius knows it's your idea."

* * *

"Has there been any progress as far as discovering who the spy could have been?" Sirius asked.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly, "All of the staff has been questioned and there isn't any reason to disbelieve any of them. I can't subject my entire staff to veritaserum and even if I could I suspect the guilty party would be expecting it and therefore have an antidote prepared."

"Harry is still convinced it's Snape," Sirius admitted.

At least once every other day since Harry had returned home for the summer he had made his thoughts and opinions on Snape more than clear.

"I know old grudges can be hold to overcome," Dumbledore spoke, "And I know that Severus can be quite…demanding of his students…"

"_Demanding_?" Sirius asked, "He can be cruel is what he can be."

"He is on our side Sirius," Dumbledore replied, "He is on Harry's side."

Sirius sighed refusing to agree and instead changed the subject.

"What about Karkaroff? He is a known former Death Eater."

"Former being the key word there Sirius, people can change," Dumbledore said in a soft voice.

"They can," Sirius nodded, "But that doesn't mean that they do."

* * *

"Have you spoken with Ron at all?" Remus asked.

The two were back in Harry's living room and Harry was setting up the chess board.

"No," Harry replied, "I might ask Sirius if he can come over one of these weekends, maybe Hermione too."

The truth was Harry had been avoiding the Weasley family, or more specifically Mrs. Weasley. He didn't forget how angry and disappointed she had looked in that room at The Leaky Cauldron. Harry had always thought himself quite lucky to be treated like an honorary Weasley, after all he loved the whole family very much, but when he had seen Mrs. Weasley's face that night he had never felt luckier that she wasn't his mother.

He was sure that by now her temper had to have calmed down but still he wasn't positive that she wouldn't say anything about that night and so Harry hadn't mentioned Ron at all recently.

"That sounds like it could be some fun," Remus smiled as he watched Harry make his first move in the game, "And I can certainly remember how hard it was to go from seeing your mates every day at Hogwarts to hardly seeing them at all in the summer."

Harry smiled as he nodded. Unlike with his godfather, he always had a hard time imagining Remus as a boy at Hogwarts.

"Of course your father and Sirius used to come visit me quite often in the summer and vice versa…we were inseparable back then."

"Sirius says that me, Ron, and Hermione remind him of you, my dad, and him," Harry replied as Remus took his first move in the game.

"That you do," Remus smiled, "An inseparable trio with a knack for mischief….exactly like we were back then."

* * *

"Now the matter I have been avoiding and have no choice but to address," Dumbledore spoke, "Harry's running off."

Sirius ran a hand through his long hair. He had known this would eventually come up though he hoped his instincts were wrong. It wasn't something he cared to discuss, not with Dumbledore anyway.

"It will not happen again."

"What caused it to happen this time if you don't mind my asking?"

Sirius sighed softly before answering honestly, "After what happened with Cedric Harry was concerned…he was afraid that his being with me would cause Death Eaters or perhaps Voldemort himself to kill me as they did Cedric."

Dumbledore nodded before he spoke. "Sirius he cannot run off…"

"I know he can't."

"Especially now with Voldemort out there and gaining power Harry must underst…"

"Trust me when I say that he does and you have my word that it will not happen again."

Dumbledore stared into Sirius' eyes for a moment before he nodded once, "Very well."

* * *

Much later that night, Sirius sat in the living room. Harry had gone up to bed nearly an hour prior. He had hardly spoken to his godson about the meeting he had attended earlier in the day, making his main concern Harry's beating Remus in chess and hearing all about their lunch at The Three Broomsticks.

Truth be told, he hadn't wanted his godson to be too concerned with what was said at the meeting but if he knew Harry at all he knew that wasn't going to be an attainable goal for too much longer.

And then as if on cue Harry appeared in the doorway to the living room.

"Didn't you go to bed nearly an hour ago?" Sirius asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Didn't you say you'd be up to say goodnight nearly an hour ago?" Harry raised his own eyebrow causing his godfather to chuckle.

"I suppose I did you cheeky little thing," Sirius nodded as Harry crossed the room and joined him on the couch.

"So why haven't you been? You're worried about something huh?"

"Not worried Pup, just thinking," Sirius replied.

"Thinking about what?" Harry inquired as he tucked his toes in between the couch cushions.

"I'm not sure it's any of your concern," Sirius answered honestly.

Harry made a face in protest but Sirius spoke once more before his godson could.

"Tell me something pleasant."

Harry pondered this for a moment before a small grin took over his face. "Wanna hear how good I was today?"

"Of course I do Pup," Sirius nodded, "How good were you?"

"Remus said we could go flying and I didn't do it and I could have Sirius, I really could have."

Sirius swallowed down a chuckle as he nodded proudly, "That's very pleasant news."

"So are you going to tell me about the meeting today?" Harry asked, "Or is it not my concern?"

"I'm pretty sure it's well past your bedtime," Sirius replied.

"I don't have a bedtime," Harry smiled, "You never gave me one."

"It's near midnight Harry, I hardly think this is the time…."

"Just five more minutes and then I'll go up to bed, I promise," Harry bargained throwing his godfather a hopeful look.

"Five minutes and then you had better be in bed, I hardly want to deal with a cranky twelve year old tomorrow," Sirius smiled.

Harry fought the urge to argue that he was hardly ever cranky and instead asked the obvious. "So are you going to tell me now?"

Sirius cleared his throat before he spoke. "Dumbledore is going to come by tomorrow afternoon to put some extra spells on the property….everything is fine I promise you that, it's really just a precaution," Sirius added the promise when he saw the look on his godson's face.

"But Sirius…."

"Everything is fine Harry, I promise you that we are both very, **very **safe…you trust me right?"

"Yes," Harry answered without any hesitation, "I do."

"Then trust me when I say that you do not need to worry about this…your only worry at the moment should be having fun, understood?"

"Mmhmm," Harry nodded.

"Alright then, to bed with you and we'll speak about this more tomorrow."

Harry stood up slowly and stayed silent as he took a step towards the doorway and then turned back around standing in front of his godfather.

"You know what is fun?" He asked.

"What's that Pup?"

"Flying," Harry replied in an innocent voice.

"Nice try," Sirius smiled as he landed a playful smack to his godson's bottom, "Up to bed with you you little mongrel and this time I really will be up in just a moment to say goodnight."

**TBC...**


	7. Chapter 7

**As always thank you all so much for the continued support. And a special thank you to my two beta readers: Chereche and MaeSilverpaws1. I hope you all enjoy this chapter : )**

**Mira**

**

* * *

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Harry woke the next morning to the sound of voices down in the yard below his window. Yawning softly he peered out and saw his godfather and Dumbledore standing in the grass. The headmaster was pointing to the left as Sirius nodded.

Harry rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with the palm of his hand as he hurriedly dressed. Quickly, he made his way down the stairs, hoping to hear a piece of the conversation. It was obviously about extra spells Sirius had mentioned to him.

As Harry's feet hit the bottom step he heard Dumbledore's voice in the kitchen.

"The property is covered in every direction, including up should Harry feel the need to fly higher than usual."

Harry held his breath praying his godfather wouldn't mention that he wouldn't be flying at all anytime soon. Causing Sirius to be cross enough to feel the need to punish him for the entire summer was embarrassing enough without the headmaster knowing about it as well. However, to his relief, a thank you was the only thing Harry heard Sirius reply with.

"I'll be on my way then," Dumbledore continued, "And I'll see you tomorrow evening."

Harry imagined that his godfather nodded as he heard no reply. Seconds later the backdoor opened and closed, indicating that the headmaster had left.

Harry waited a moment before rounding the corner into the kitchen. His godfather was standing in front of the sink, staring out into the yard contemplatively.

"Morning," Harry smiled as he headed directly for the pantry, taking out his favorite cereal, "Was that Dumbledore that just left?"

His godfather nodded once. Taking a step back from the sink, Sirius leaned over and retrieved a bowl for his godson from a cabinet.

"Thanks," Harry said as he took the bowl from him. Walking back to the table, he began pouring himself a bowl of cereal.

The room was silent as Harry fixed his breakfast and then began eating.

As the first spoonful of cereal mulled around Harry's mouth, he studied his godfather. The man's quiet demeanor spoke volumes to the young wizard…Sirius was worried.

"You okay?" Harry asked as he ate another spoonful.

"Hmmm?" Sirius replied absently. He turned away from the window he had continued to stare out off and crossed the room, seating himself across from his godson. "Don't speak with your mouth full of food."

Harry nodded obediently, and swallowed before he repeated his question. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Pup," Sirius nodded.

Harry searched his godfather's grey eyes, unsure of whether he believed the man was fine or not. He himself tended to say he was fine, and a lot of the time, that really was not the case.

"I actually just spoke with Remus," Sirius stated, abruptly changing the subject, "He mentioned something about your learning some defense over the summer."

"It was his idea," Harry clarified before eating another spoonful of cereal.

"He mentioned that," Sirius smiled softly; "He also said that he spoke to Dumbledore about it and he thinks it's a fine idea as well. It's something you'd want to do, yes?"

Harry nodded quickly as he swallowed his food before speaking, "Yes."

"Well then, Remus will be by this afternoon to collect you. The two of you will go to Hogwarts for a lesson."

"Really?" Harry asked in a voice that was partly excited and partly shocked.

"Yes really Pup," Sirius chuckled, amused by his enthusiasm. "Why so shocked?"

Harry hesitated slightly, carefully choosing his words. "It's just…you said…" the boy paused, and taking a deep breath, continued, "You had said that you weren't even sure I could go back to Hogwarts in the fall."

"Yes, well the fall and today are two different things," Sirius replied before getting up to make himself a cup of tea, "We'll deal with the fall when that time comes."

Harry sighed, looking down at the empty bowl in front of him, "You wouldn't really do that would you?" he asked softly.

"Let's not get into this right now," Sirius stated as he returned to the table, a cup of tea in his hand.

"Get into what?" Harry retorted, struggling slightly to keep his tone polite. "It's just a question."

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose before his eyes locked with his godson's. "You know my feelings on the matter Harry and when the time comes you will have your answer. But at the moment, I cannot tell you what will happen in the fall as I do not know how I will feel then."

Harry chewed on his bottom lip softly as he nodded his head, "Alright."

He really wanted to argue that it was hardly fair to be left in the dark about something that concerned him; however there was something in his godfather's demeanor that urged him to keep quiet about the matter for now. Wisely, he listened.

* * *

"I want to first tell you that what I want to try teaching you is highly advanced magic Harry. It's well beyond a third year's level and you haven't quite yet started that yet. Therefore, if you can't master this please don't be discouraged."

Harry studied the man's face before him. Remus was speaking in a kind voice, as he always did, but Harry could see the concern written on his face. The man could say all he wanted that it was okay if he didn't understand it. However, it was as clear as day to him that it really wasn't okay. It was important that he master this.

Still, Harry nodded in agreement to Remus' words. "Okay."

Just after Harry had finished his lunch, the wizard had appeared through the floo to take him to Hogwarts for his lesson and honestly, Harry couldn't have been happier to go. Though Sirius hadn't been cross exactly, he was definitely in a foul mood and Harry was actually looking forward to a few hours away from his godfather. Hopefully he would calm down in that time.

"It's called the Patronus Charm," Remus stated, drawing him back to the present.

"How does it work?" Harry asked, unable to keep his voice from sounding nervous.

"Well I know you are aware of what a dementor is. If cast correctly, the spell conjures a Patronus which is a kind of anti-dementor really. It's a sort of a shield between you and the dementor."

Harry nodded, hoping his face looked as though he understood every word Remus had said. In reality he could barely imagine what his favorite Professor had just described.

"The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the dementor feeds upon…hope, happiness, the desire to survive…but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the dementor can not hurt it. Now, as I said, this is really advanced magic…I know many qualified wizards that have a hard time with it."

That was in no way reassuring, Harry thought.

"What does a Patronus look like?" Harry asked curiously.

"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it," Remus explained in a slightly lecturing tone, "And in order to conjure it you must use an incantation which will only work if you are concentrating with all your might on one single, very happy memory."

Harry's mind immediately went to his godfather.

Many of the memories he had with the man were happy ones. However, he instantly thought of the day he had left Hogwarts at the end of term his first year, the day he knew he was going home to live with Sirius permanently.

"Right," Harry nodded, trying to recall exactly as possible the wonderful feeling of stepping off the Hogwarts Express to see Sirius standing there waiting for him.

"The incantation is this," Remus cleared his throat, "Expecto patronum!"

"Expecto patronum," Harry repeated under his breath, "Expecto patronum."

"Concentrating hard on your happy memory?" Remus asked.

"Oh yeah," Harry muttered quickly forcing his thoughts back to his godfather, "Expecto patrono…no sorry…patronum, expecto patronum, expecto patronum…"

Something whooshed suddenly out of the end of his wand; it looked like a wisp of silvery mist.

"Did you see that?" Harry said excitedly. "Something happened Remus!"

"Very good," Remus smiled, after Harry successfully produced it again, "Ready to try it on a dementor?"

Harry cast a worried look in Remus' direction.

"Not a real dementor of course," Remus explained. He walked towards the front of the empty classroom and removed a large sheet from atop the desk to reveal a trunk. "I'm sure you remember our lesson this year on boggarts?"

Harry nodded. Of course he remembered that class. He would never forget the day he had spoken to a snake in front of the entire Defense class.

"Unfortunately we never learned what your boggart would reveal but something tells me that after what happened on the train it may just be a dementor."

"Okay," said Harry, trying to sound as though he wasn't apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitute for a real dementor. "I'm ready to try it."

Harry gripped his wand very tightly as he stood in the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on Sirius and his happy memory but he couldn't help the constant tinge of nervousness that kept creeping into his thoughts.

Remus grasped the lid of the chest and opened it.

A dementor rose slowly from the chest, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The dementor zeroed in on Harry, sweeping silently towards him as it drew a deep, rattling breath.

A wave of piercing cold broke over Harry.

"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto…"

But the classroom and the dementor were dissolving. Harry was falling through a thick white fog and a woman's voice was loudly screaming all around him.

"_Not Harry! Not Harry! Please I'll do anything!"_

"Harry!"

Harry jerked back to life. He was lying flat on his back on the floor. The classroom lamps were alight again. He had enough experience with fainting between his first encounter with a dementor and the lessons he used to have with Snape to know what had just happened.

"Sorry," he muttered sitting up and feeling cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses.

"Nonsense. Are you alright?" Remus asked crouching down besides the boy.

Harry nodded as he began to pull himself up off the floor, only to feel Remus' hand grip his arm and help him up.

"Here," Remus handed him a Chocolate Frog, "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it on your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had."

Harry took the chocolate from Remus as he leaned against the desk. "Did you hear it too?"

"Hear what?" Remus asked, a look of sheer curiosity in his eyes.

"That lady screaming…begging." Harry explained what he had just heard, searching Remus' eyes for an answer.

Remus shook his head, "A lady was screaming?"

"Horribly," Harry nodded.

Actually it wasn't so much the actual screaming that bothered him so much. It was the words she screamed that disturbed him. Something about it was familiar, like a dream he had had long ago.

"What was she saying?" Remus asked, as he watched the young boy swallow the last of the chocolate.

"Not Harry," he answered honestly.

Remus looked paler than usual.

"Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand…"

"I do!" Harry said fiercely. They had only just started the last thing he wanted was to stop so quickly.

"I'm not sure…"

"Please Remus," Harry cut him off, a desperate look on his face. He knew how important this was. They could not just stop because he had fainted. "Please."

"All right then," Remus nodded, although there was a note of reluctance in his voice. "Be sure you are concentrating on your memory…I don't mean to accuse you of not doing so, but that could have been the reason you didn't succeed last time."

Harry nodded as he walked towards the middle of the classroom, gripping his wand tightly once more.

"Ready?" Remus asked, gripping the lid of the chest.

"Ready," Harry nodded, trying hard to fill his head with happy thoughts about Sirius, and not dark thoughts of what was going to happen when the box opened.

"Go," Remus said, pulling the chest open. The room went icily cold and dark once again. The dementor glided forward, one rotted hand was extending towards Harry.

"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled, "Expecto patronum!"

White fog obscured his senses and the classroom was dissolving once more. Then came a new voice, a man's voice, shouting, panicked.

"_Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off…"_

"Harry! Harry! Wake up!"

Remus was shaking Harry hard. This time it took a moment before Harry understood why he was lying on the dusty classroom floor.

"I heard my dad," Harry muttered a hard lump in his throat, "He tried to take on Voldemort himself…to give my mum time to run for it….he…"

Harry stopped speaking as he suddenly realized that there were tears on his face mingling with the sweat. He bent his face as low as possible, wiping them off with the back of his hands, hoping Remus wouldn't notice. As badly as he had wanted to get away from Sirius for a few hours, he now found that all he wanted was to be with his godfather.

"You heard James?" Remus asked.

"Yeah," Harry looked up hoping his now dry face didn't hold eyes that would give him away.

Remus stared into the boy's eyes for a moment, sighing softly before he cleared his throat.

"Listen Harry…perhaps we should leave it here for now. This charm is ridiculously advanced…I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this and Sirius…."

"No!" Harry stood up quickly. "Can't we just try once more? My thoughts probably aren't happy enough, that's what it is…hang on."

He racked his brains even as Remus moved to the chest. A really, really happy memory…one that he could turn into a good, strong Patronus.

The moment he'd first found out he was a wizard, and would be leaving the Dursleys for Hogwarts! If that wasn't a happy memory then he didn't know what was. Concentrating very hard Harry gripped his wand once more and turned to face Remus and the chest.

"Ready?" Remus asked, who looked like he was doing this against his better judgment, "Concentrating hard?"

Harry nodded.

"Alright….go!"

He opened the chest for the third time and the dementor rose out of it, the room fell dark and cold.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry yelled. "EXPECT PATRONUM!"

The screaming inside Harry's head started again…expect this time it sounded as though it were fading farther and farther away. Harry could still see as the dementor halted and then a huge silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, hovering between him and the dementor. Although Harry's legs felt like water, he was still on his feet.

"Riddikulus!" Remus roared.

There was a loud crack and Harry's cloudy Patronus vanished as did the dementor. Harry fell backwards onto his bottom, his legs shaking.

Harry watched as Remus forced the boggart back into the chest with his wand before he turned to face the boy.

"Excellent!" Remus smiled as he crossed the room to Harry, "That was excellent Harry!"

"Can we have another go? Just one more?"

"Not now," Remus said firmly, "You've had more than enough for one afternoon."

Harry opened his mouth to protest but Remus cut him off handing him a large bar of chocolate.

"Eat that or Sirius will be after my blood. And the answer is still no, we're done for today. However if it's alright with your godfather perhaps we can do this again in a few days time."

"Okay," Harry agreed as he opened the chocolate bar and took a bite.

* * *

Less than an hour later Harry was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling as he attempted to sleep. Remus had brought him home and suggested he take a nap after his long afternoon. He had wanted to argue. He had wanted to point out that he wasn't some sodding baby who needed to nap but he decided against it. After all he was a bit sleepy and he didn't want to disobey and give Remus a reason to stop the lessons.

Sirius had been sitting in his chair reading The Daily Prophet when they had stepped through the floo and though he had asked about the lesson and even attempted to seem interested, Harry could see that his godfather was still a million miles away.

Harry felt drained and strangely empty, even though he was so full of chocolate. Terrible though it was to hear his parents' last moments replayed inside his head, Harry couldn't help but long for the hearing the sound of their voices. Still, he'd never be able to produce a proper Patronus if he half wanted to hear them again.

"They're dead," he told himself sternly, "They're dead and listening to echoes of them won't bring them back."

He swallowed the hard lump in his throat and rolled onto his side before he pulled the blankets up around his ears and closed his eyes.

* * *

"It went well then?" Sirius asked, as Remus took a seat across from his on the edge on the couch.

"Harry did very well," Remus nodded, "Better than I expected actually, he is quite talented that godson of yours."

"But something is wrong," Sirius stated, worry in his grey eyes. He knew Remus Lupin, perhaps better than he knew himself. He knew the look on the man's face before him…something had happened.

Remus nodded once. He cleared his throat as he searched for the correct words before quickly realizing there were no right words for this particular news.

"Harry heard both Lily and James while attempting to master the charm today," Remus spoke the words in a low voice.

Sirius who had been staring down at his hands quickly snapped his head up, his eyes meeting his best mates.

"I believe he heard them in their last few moments of their lives…just as they were about to…" Remus trailed off.

Sirius ran a hand through this long hair, "I'll speak to him about it when he wakes up."

Remus nodded as he stood, "Very well."

He wasn't sure what he had expected Sirius' reaction to this news to be, but he was sure he had expected more than he had just gotten.

He headed towards the fireplace and then on second thought paused and turned back around.

"I know you are worried Padfoot, but you need to pull it together…for Harry's sake."

Sirius opened his mouth to reply but, before he could, Remus was gone.

**TBC...**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: As always thank you for all the support and thank you to my two lovely betas. Enjoy the chapter and I'll try and have the next up soon.**

**

* * *

**Nearly an hour had passed since Remus had left. In this time, Sirius hadn't moved from his chair. He had once again picked up The Daily Prophet, and for no particular reason, sat there pretending to read it. In reality, his mind was preoccupied with the words Remus had spoken.

He knew he had been subdued as of late. He wouldn't deny that. But had it really been hurting his godson…he hadn't noticed.

The house was quiet aside from the soft ticking of the clock above the mantel, and then, he heard a loud thud above him.

Dropping the paper, Sirius took the stairs two at a time, and, upon reaching the top step, he heard the soft sounds of his godson crying.

Pushing open Harry's bedroom door, he found his godson wrapped in his blankets, sprawled out on the floor next to his bed. His eyes red, his cheeks wet, and his face bore an expression of confusion and embarrassment.

"I had a bad dream," Harry explained before Sirius could even open his mouth.

Sirius was crossing the room, prepared to sit on the floor beside his godson. However, before he could get there, Harry was already standing up, climbing back on to his bed. The look of sheer embarrassment was still on his face; though, as the wizard looked closer he saw it was mixed with something else…something Sirius could not understand-guilt.

"I'm sorry," Harry stated as he sat on his bed, "I didn't mean to bother you."

Sirius shook his head as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You didn't in the least."

Harry didn't reply, just sat there staring down at his jean clad knees, chewing softly on his lower lip.

"Why in Merlin's name would you apologize for having a bad dream?"

Harry gave a small half shrug as he searched for the correct words. "I…it's just that you've been cross or something lately."

"Cross?" Sirius asked, genuinely confused. "Cross with whom?"

Harry looked up at his godfather, his eyes still red and his face blotchy he gave him a pointed look.

Sirius sighed softly as he ran a hand through his long hair. "I'm not cross with you Pup, what would I be cross about?" It was hard for him to keep the utter confusion out of his voice.

"I don't know," Harry answered automatically. Then after a moment of thought he opened his mouth once more. "I ran off and worried and disappointed you. I yelled at you and made you cross and…"

"I'm not angry with you about any of that…I was never really angry," Sirius admitted. "I was worried Pup…I was very worried."

"And he's back because of me," Harry continued hardly stopping to take a breath, "and now everything is a mess and it's all my fault and…"

"Harry James Potter," Sirius spoke in a firm voice that caused Harry's head to snap up, "This is absolutely not your fault."

Harry looked up at his godfather as he swallowed down the large lump in his throat. He took a deep breath before he spoke, but unfortunately, for him, his voice still cracked as the words came out. "Yes it is."

Sirius closed his eyes for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. When he opened them he saw his godson, tears running down his face.

In one quick movement, Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry, pulling him onto his lap. Harry made a small sound of surprise at the sudden movement, and then settled against him.

"We've been over this Pup…it's not your fault that you were put in this situation. You didn't ask to be in the tournament and I never should have allowed you to."

When Harry didn't respond, Sirius cleared his throat and spoke once more. "Is that what the nightmare was about? The tournament?"

For a moment, Harry considered agreeing with this. He considered taking the easy way out and avoiding discussing what was really bothering him. However, he knew enough to know that that wouldn't help.

"I heard my parents," he muttered under his breath.

"Remus mentioned that before he left," Sirius admitted.

"He was there and they were trying to protect me, he was about to…"

"They loved you Harry," Sirius cut him off before he could finish the horrible sentence. "They loved you so much and what happened was such a horrible…horrible thing. There is no denying that. But Harry, I promise you that they would have done it a million times over to protect you. They would have done anything for you Pup. They didn't die in vain. I promise you that. Lily and James would have wanted you to live and they sacrificed themselves to give you that chance."

"It just really isn't fair," Harry replied as he hastily wiped the tears from his face.

"No it isn't," Sirius agreed. His heart was clenching painfully, as memories of that night – the moment he had found out they were dead, threatened to overwhelm him. "And if there was a way to make it fair, you know I would do it in a heart beat but unfortunately that isn't the case, and there is nothing I can do" His voice bore a hint of pain as he spoke the last words.

Harry sighed heavily as he looked up at his godfather. "I know you would."

"And I'm sorry I've been such an arse these past few days…it's not fair to you Pup and you did nothing wrong I promise you."

"It's okay," Harry shrugged unable to keep the small smirk off his face at his godfather's slip up of words. Despite the situation, it was funny to hear the man use a word he often cautioned him about using.

"It isn't okay," Sirius corrected, shaking his head. "I've been quite stressed out over things and in the near future you and I are going to have to sit down and discuss them all. But, for now, being stressed is no excuse to be so miserable."

"It really is okay Sirius, you're brilliant." And in all honesty, Harry really thought he was. After all he could understand how being stressed out could make you miserable. He couldn't fault the man for it.

* * *

"So how would you like to spend the night over at the Burrow?" Sirius asked as he cleared lunch from the table before setting a cup of tea down in front of Harry.

It was the following afternoon. Harry and Sirius had spent the morning down at the lake, enjoying the warm weather and, more importantly, each other's company.

"With Ron?" Harry asked, before immediately kicking himself mentally for asking such a stupid question.

"They'll be expecting you shortly," his godfather replied as he sat down across from him, cradling his own cup.

"Do I have to go?" Harry asked before he could stop himself.

"What in the world?" Sirius asked as a sheer look of confusion took over his face. "I thought you'd be over the moon for a chance to go and spend the evening at the Burrow."

Harry shrugged slightly.

"No…absolutely no shrugging…start talking."

Harry looked up at his godfather before he replied. "It's just that…she's probably still really angry with me Sirius."

Biting down on his bottom lip, Sirius swallowed the chuckle that threatened to escape from his mouth. "I doubt she is still angry with you Pup…it was actually her idea that you spend the evening there and besides don't you want to see Ron?"

"Well yeah," Harry admitted. "Can't he come spend the evening here though?"

Sirius shook his head. "Not tonight Harry. I have an Order meeting this evening and it's promising to be a long one."

"Then Ron and I should be coming along!" Harry pointed out in a hopeful voice.

"Nice try," Sirius chuckled softly, "But absolutely not."

Harry made a face as his shoulders slumped noticeably.

"You'll have fun at the Weasley's Pup…you always do."

Harry shrugged softly as he stared down at his tea. "They'll want to fly…they always do." The words came out of his mouth before he could stop them.

He didn't look up at he heard his godfather sigh. It wasn't as though he didn't think he deserved the punishment. He knew he did. Although he would never, even if he lived to be as old as Nicholas Flamel, admit it out loud…he knew he more than deserved it. Still...no one could blame him for trying.

"Harry."

Sirius' voice was stern.

"I know," Harry replied. He still refused to lift his head and look up at his godfather, mostly because he didn't think he would care for what he found there.

"I'm sure if you explain to the Weasley's why it is that you cannot fly they will more than understand," Sirius spoke.

Harry nodded his head still down, but his cheeks flamed. How in Merlin's name was he going to explain to Ron, the twins, and Ginny that he was being punished for the entire summer?

"However," his godfather continued, "I am sure that doing so would be highly embarrassing, and so, I suppose that while you are at the Burrow allowing you to fly wouldn't be a completely barbaric idea."

"Really?" Harry's head snapped up and he was unable to hide the toothy grin that had taken over his face.

"We've learned our lesson?" Sirius asked, arching a brow.

Harry nodded quickly, "Yes!"

"And we aren't going to run off again?"

"Never," Harry promised in a serious voice.

"And we're going to behave at the Burrow?"

"Of course," Harry nodded, "I always do."

"Then I suppose…at least while you are at Ron's…that you may fly."

"Thanks Sirius," Harry smiled widely at his godfather. "You really are brilliant!"

"Mmm yes," Sirius chuckled, a grin on his face at his godson's obvious glee. "I've heard something like that in the past."

* * *

"So you reckon tonight's meeting is about you know who then?" Ron asked as the boys flew around the backyard at the Burrow.

Harry had arrived at Ron's house nearly two hours ago and he and Ron had been outside flying for nearly as long. Harry had flooed to the Burrow and, to his surprise, found it unusually empty. Mr. Weasley was in the shed working or something while Percy was in the house, locked up in his room reading. The twins were spending the day over at their friend Lee Jordan's and Mrs. Weasley was out shopping with Ginny. Harry honestly couldn't remember the Burrow ever being so quiet.

"Yeah," Harry nodded. "Of course it is. Sirius didn't even try and hide that there was a meeting and Voldemort coming back is a really big deal."

Ron flinched slightly at the sound of the evil name.

"I overheard mum and dad talking," Ron stated. "Dad says a war will most likely break out eventually."

"A war?" Harry pondered. In muggle school he had learned about wars but he had never really thought of there being such a thing in the Wizarding world.

"It's like a big fight," Ron nodded.

"I know what a war is!" Harry exclaimed as he gave his friend an annoyed look. "I just thought they were only a muggle thing."

"No," Ron shook his head, "We learned about them last year didn't we?"

Harry raised an eyebrow at his red headed friend.

"Hermione wouldn't help us write the essay, remember?" Ron asked as he swooped past Harry on his broom.

Harry shrugged. Honestly, the past year was a bit of a blur to him.

"Hey, is Sirius gonna let you come back to Hogwarts?" Ron suddenly changed the subject. "Mum said he might not."

Harry shrugged slightly. "I don't know."

"But you have to come back mate! What am I going to do if you don't? Spend all my time with Hermione? She's mental that one!"

Harry smiled softly at his friend's outburst but shrugged once again. "It's up to Sirius and he's not sure I should I guess."

"Why?" Ron asked. Harry could tell by the look on his mate's face that Ron was having a hard time believing that Sirius would make rules about anything.

"I guess he doesn't think it's safe or something…after what happened with the tournament." Harry tried to explain.

"What could be safer than Hogwarts?" Ron commented as he flew by his best friend once more.

* * *

"Upstairs and wash up the lot of you! Dinner will be ready in a moment and your father and I have to go right after!"

Harry and Ron had stayed outside literally the entire day. It wasn't until Ginny yelled out the back door for them to come inside that they finally descended from the air, their hair a mess and their cheeks pink from the sun and wind.

Harry lagged behind as he watched the Weasley children pushing and shoving their way up the stairs, retreating to their rooms in order to get cleaned up for supper.

He hadn't seen Mrs. Weasley yet and he was sure the moment she spotted him he was in for a scolding at the very least and so he instantly decided that if that was the case he would much rather her children not be present.

"Harry!" Molly said as he spotted him at the bottom of the stairs. He was walking slowly, his hands shoved in his pockets, his eyes downcast...the poster child for a boy about to be scolded.

Upon hearing his name, Harry jerked his head up quickly, ready for whatever she could dish out.

"I nearly forgot you were here love," Molly smiled widely, "Is everything okay? You look a bit peaky."

Harry quickly shook his head, relieved that she seemed to have forgotten the whole incident. "I'm fine…brilliant actually."

"Good", Molly smiled, "Now upstairs with you and get yourself cleaned up. I'm sure your hands are a dreadful sight after being outside all day."

* * *

"Checkmate," Ron stated as he moved his piece, "I win again."

Supper had ended nearly an hour earlier and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were long gone. Percy was locked upstairs in his room once again. Fred and George were upstairs in their room and Ginny was in the study listening to some radio show that Ron could only describe as, "mental."

"Want to play another round?" Harry asked as he began to set up his pieces once more.

Ron shrugged half heartedly. "What do you suppose is going on at the meeting?"

"I don't know," Harry replied, "I guess they are trying to figure out what to do about Voldemort."

"I don't see why we aren't allowed to be there," Ron scoffed as he got up out of his seat, abandoning the chess game.

"I told Sirius we should be allowed to go but he says we're too young."

"We defeated him twice! You did three times!"

"I know," Harry nodded softly.

He had to agree with Ron, he didn't feel it was completely fair of the adults, namely his godfather, to not include him in the meetings. After all, Voldemort wanted him didn't he? Not anyone else. And yet…it was nice to know that Sirius was handling it as well. It was nice to be safe at the Burrow without having to worry about what was going to be done next in order to defeat Voldemort.

"We should just go," Ron blurted out as he fell back onto the couch.

"Go where? To the meeting?" Harry couldn't help but keep the small hint of panic out of his voice. Of course he wanted to go, he was dying to know what was going on at the meeting…and aside from that it would be quite the adventure. But he saw very little way to do so without getting caught.

"My cloak is at home," he pointed out before Ron could speak.

"We could go without the cloak…just be quiet about it. We don't have to be in the room you know, just close enough to hear."

Harry thought back to earlier in the day. Last summer if he would have gone to the Burrow, Sirius would have given him a stern reminder to behave himself…it had been different this time though. Sirius hadn't said anything because he didn't have to…he knew that his godson knew to behave and so a simple reminding look had been plenty.

"I don't know," Harry replied.

"Come on…we never got caught last time and mum and dad said they'd be hours so we have plenty of time…and I bet Fred and George would come with us and bring the extendable ears so we wouldn't have to get that close to the room at all."

Harry sighed as he looked up at his best mate.

Ron was sitting on the couch, his red hair still a mess from flying hours earlier, a look of sheer boredom on his face.

* * *

"I'm sorry but it is an absolutely horrible idea," Sirius shook his head.

"Think of Harry, Padfoot," Remus muttered.

Remus had been quiet for the first half of the meeting, as he usually was. He chose to sit and absorb the things being said and speak only when he felt he really needed to. In other words he was the exact opposite of someone such as Snape who felt the need to weigh in his opinion on every topic.

"Still acting as a stubborn child Mutt?"

"Severus," Dumbeldore warned as Sirius flashed Snape a deadly look.

"I am thinking of my godson. This house is absolutely no place for a young boy and I refuse to bring him here! I thought that the entire objective of your visiting yesterday morning was to secure my property to the highest level?"

"It was," Dumbledore nodded, "And it is secured to the best it can be…however this house is hidden Sirius surely you must realize…"

"I realize that this is a dreadful idea," Sirius cut him off, "I lived here as a boy and I am telling you this house is a horrible place."

* * *

"What about Percy?" Harry asked.

Ron, the twins, and himself were standing in front of the fireplace extendable ears in tow.

"He won't leave his room," Fred replied.

"Not for hours," George added.

"And Ginny?" Harry asked. He hated himself for sounding like such a baby but he couldn't help the horrible feeling he was getting. It was if fish were swimming around in his stomach. The feeling alone was enough to make him want to stop this whole charade before it even started.

"Her radio show isn't over for nearly another hour," Ron stated, "We have plenty of time."

Harry nodded once as he watched Fred take a handful of floo powder of the top of the mantel.

"Ready?" He asked with a mischievous gleam in his eye.

And then there was a flash of green light.

**TBC...**


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's Note: As always thank you all so much for the support. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of messages and reviews I got for the last chapter. I've literally been working on this one non-stop for the last two days and I hope you all enjoy it. All the thanks in the world to my two fabulous betas. And now I'm taking a bit of a break…let me get through this week and next weekend and I'll be back. Thank you again and as always feel free to tell me what you love or hate.**

**Mira**

**

* * *

**"I apologize but I disagree with keeping information from him. At the very least he should know the basic details." Saying this, Sirius eyed Remus for support.

"I must say that I don't disagree," Remus concurred, "Harry could certainly handle the truth if it were explained to him properly."

Snape snorted a laugh at these words.

"Something to say?" Sirius said, daring the man to speak.

Snape turned his head to face Sirius before he spoke, and when he did so, his voice bore its normal chilling tone.

"Your godson, though relatively intelligent, has a severe knack for finding himself in trouble. Let us not forget other occasions when he has found out information such as the fiasco with the Chamber of Secrets. Telling such an arrogant child information that he does not…"

"Harry is not an arrogant child!" Sirius interrupted, jumping out of his seat.

"He has absolutely no respect for rules," Snape replied in a calm voice, seemingly unperturbed by Sirius' words. "He has proven that time and time again."

"I'm sorry Sirius," Molly said softly, "but I have to agree with Severus…if Harry knew everything what is to say that he wouldn't try to go off and find him himself? He does have a tendency to find trouble."

"So you all expect me to just lie to him? To keep him in the dark about everything?" Sirius asked as he fell back into his chair. He looked to Dumbledore for an answer. "I'm just supposed to let him think that he'll never have to face him again? That at this very moment Voldemort isn't getting stronger?"

Dumbledore shook his head softly. "At the moment it may be for the best…to keep him safe."

"Ignorance does not equal safety," Sirius replied, struggling to keep his tone a calm one. "And I am not comfortable lying to my godson."

Fred Weasley was standing with his back against the dirty wall as he smiled at the others. Quietly he removed the long string from his pocket and whispered, "Go", before holding it up in the middle of the group.

"I'm not quite sure how we got back here again but I already told you I am not moving Harry into this house."

"Not anytime soon but in the future…perhaps after the next school year," Dumbledore tried to explain.

Sirius fought the urge to point out that his godson might not even be attending the next school year and instead simply shook his head. "It isn't a wise idea. This house may be hidden but it is also full of dark objects, some of which I'm not even aware of. Will it really do any good for Harry to live here if he picks up a cursed object in the process?"

"Well of course the house will be inspected first," Dumbledore pointed out.

"And there is no property, simply a house, I'm supposed to have my godson come and live some place where he doesn't even have adequate room to fly?" Sirius raised an eyebrow at this question as if daring someone to tell him that this was a good idea.

There were plenty of matters that Sirius wasn't completely sure about. For example, he still wasn't sure that returning to Hogwarts was the best idea for Harry. He wasn't sure how, when the time came, he was going to handle his godson dating. Heck, he wasn't even sure what he was going to make for supper the following evening. But he was sure that living in his parents' house with Harry was a bad idea…a very bad idea. And though he would never say so out loud in the company he was in, part of his worry did have to do with his godson's knack for finding trouble.

"Surely the boy can survive without his beloved broomstick," Snape spoke in an icy tone.

"Severus," Dumbledore replied as he shook his head in a tired motion.

"It isn't a question of whether he can or not," Arthur spoke up, "The fact is he shouldn't have to do so and as a parent I agree with Sirius, I would never want to take that away from my child unless absolutely necessary."

Sirius gave Arthur a nod of appreciation before he spoke. "And if it becomes absolutely necessary I will be the first one to have him pack up his bags and move in here but until then I want the subject dropped."

The room went silent for a moment, and a mere twenty feet away George Weasley inspected the string to be sure it was still working properly.

"How did Harry's first lesson go?" Dumbledore asked, wisely heeding Sirius' request, and directing the question towards Remus.

"Very well," Remus nodded, "He is quite talented. He managed to produce a

Patronus Charm during his first lesson. I think he and I will continue with that for another week or so before we move on."

Dumbledore nodded with his approval. "I think that's a fine idea. The Dementors will continue to guard Hogwarts and Harry being able to ward them off might prove useful."

"Will it really be necessary to still have those dreadful creatures surrounding the school?" Arthur asked.

"Unfortunately it will," Dumbledore replied as Molly stood up, a peculiar look on her face.

"What is it Love?" Arthur questioned but she held a finger up to her mouth to shush him as she walked across the room, her eyes downcast.

"Keep talking," she mouthed the words to the others, an irritated look on her face.

"Voldemort was able to convince the Dementors to join him in the last war though," Arthur continued speaking, though his face bore a look of sheer confusion as his wife left the room.

"That he did, but at this time they are still very much on the side of the Ministry," Dumbledore said.

"Arthur I need you here this instant!" Molly called from the other room causing her husband to jump out of his seat and disappear into the hall.

* * *

Molly Weasley stepped out of the floo angrier than she had been in a very long time.

"The three of you can just march yourselves directly into the study," she ordered, her hands on her hips, as she headed for the kitchen. Ginny's eyes nearly bugged out of her head as she looked up at her mother and then quickly and quietly exited the room.

"Harry go and pack your things, Arthur is letting Sirius know that you'll be heading home in a moment."

Harry took the stairs to Ron's room two at a time. The last thing he wanted was to be at the Burrow any longer than he needed too, nor did he want to keep his godfather waiting. Within seconds, he was back in the living room, his satchel in hand, just in time to see Mrs. Weasley charging towards the study, an old worn looking leather slipper in her grasp.

"Straight home with you Harry, I'm sure your godfather is waiting."

* * *

Harry stepped into his living room to find his godfather perched on the edge of his armchair.

"I'm a little shocked to say the least," Sirius stated, as his godson sat on the couch, "To say the very least."

"Shocked?" Harry repeated blankly.

"I love you Pup, but honestly I never expected this...care to explain?"

Harry shrugged slightly as he leaned back into the cushions. "I don't know. I almost went but then I thought about it and it just seemed like a really dumb idea Sirius. I mean you've said not to go like a million times, I'm not **that **thick! It wasn't worth getting in trouble over and I knew you'd be disappointed and I guess mad too."

"You guess I'd be mad?" Sirius asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No," Harry admitted, a thoughtful look on his face, "I knew you'd be really angry if I went so I just didn't. Ginny was there so we hung out instead, played some exploding snap." Harry paused for a moment and then as if on second thought added, "I couldn't tell on them either though. I couldn't be a rat."

"I wouldn't expect you too," Sirius smiled warmly, "I would have never been able to rat out your father for something either. Did you think I'd be upset with you for not telling on them?"

Harry pondered this for a moment before he shook his head. "No. I didn't go...can't expect much more than that can you?"

"No I don't suppose I can," Sirius chuckled, "I'm proud of you Harry...quite proud. It would have been very easy for you to go along with the poor decision Ron made and it took a lot of courage for you to obey the rules. Yes, you've made me very proud."

"Thanks Sirius," Harry smiled. "I had to come home though and Ron's bloody angry with me and he'll probably be grounded forever. Mrs. Weasley looked furious."

"Ron will eventually realize you did the right thing," Sirius agreed with a sad nod, "And on the plus side you aren't in the same boat as he is this time around."

"Yeah," Harry nodded in agreement though he didn't seem all that impressed with his godfather's assessment.

"And personally I think your actions tonight deserve some sort of reward."

"Yeah?" Harry asked perking up considerably.

"I think so," Sirius nodded, "After all what you did tonight means a lot to me Pup...more than you probably realize. You showed a great deal of maturity. Perhaps this means I can lift the restrictions on your broom."

"Really? You mean it?" Harry sat up straighter. "I can fly again? Right now?"

"How about tomorrow?" Sirius laughed. "It's quite dark out right now."

"It's not **that** dark," Harry argued, though it was well after eight at night.

Sirius laughed softly as he ran a hand through his long dark hair. "We can fly for a half an hour and not a minute more."

* * *

It was later that night, after flying for nearly an hour that Harry found himself up in his bed while his godfather sat in the kitchen, a glass of firewhisky in front of him, his best mate across from him.

"You're an old softy you know," Remus chuckled, "Letting him fly until close to ten at night."

"I am," Sirius nodded in agreement, a small smile dancing at his lips, "But after what he did tonight I couldn't say no. When Arthur came back in to tell me that Molly had caught the boys I won't deny that I automatically assumed Harry was with them."

"Of course you did, you'd have every reason to given his track record."

"And he wasn't Moony; he bloody told his best friend that he wasn't joining him. Could you see me telling James I wasn't joining him in any of our adventures?"

"No," Remus answered honestly before taking a drink from his own glass.

"Because I wouldn't have done it," Sirius shook his head, "But Harry did and that deserved rewarding in my book. I think I'm going to take him down to Diagon Ally tomorrow as well."

"I was thinking that maybe late tomorrow afternoon I could work with him at Hogwarts once more. After all the following evening is..."

"A full moon," Sirius cut him off, "Yes late tomorrow would be perfect. I need to go and meet with Dumbledore once more so it will be good timing."

"Another meeting with Dumbledore?" Remus asked raising an eyebrow.

Sirius nodded, taking a long swig of firewhisky before speaking. "He is determined to try and make my life difficult. Imagine Harry living at Number 12."

"I'm not sure I can or want to honestly," Remus agreed.

"Because it is an utterly ridiculous idea. He belongs here...we belong here...where it is safe."

"And Dumbledore doesn't think here is safe?" Remus questioned though he already knew the answer.

"Who knows what that old coot thinks. He just spent nearly two hours around the property extending the safety charms and now he changes his mind completely." Sirius shook his head in frustration before taking another drink.

Remus thought about voicing his opinion that perhaps moving Harry into a property that was nearly invisible wasn't a completely horrible idea. However, he bit his tongue as he noticed the impediment look on his best mate's face.

"Enough of this nonsense, the important thing is that Harry is safe and sound up in his bed and that tonight your godson did the right thing."

Sirius smiled as Remus' words. "Yes...that is the important thing."

* * *

It was well after midnight when Sirius finally retreated upstairs, in hopes of sleeping. He stuck his head in his godson's room, as he often did, to check on him and instantly noticed that Harry's breathing was not that of a sleeping child.

"Still awake Pup?" He asked in a soft voice.

"Mmhmm," came the quiet reply from under the mound of covers.

"Everything okay?" Sirius questioned as he crossed the room.

"Yeah I'm just thinking," Harry replied, still from under the covers.

Sirius smirked at this reply, forcing himself to swallow down a chuckle.

"What in Merlin's name are you thinking about at this time of night?" Sirius inquired.

At these words Harry's head popped out from under the covers, his hair an unruly mess. "Don't make fun!" He insisted, giving his godfather an annoyed look.

"I'm not doing anything of the sort," Sirius replied as he sat on the edge of his godson's bed. "I'm quite concerned about you."

Harry inspected Sirius' face as if searching for some doubt in these words and only when he didn't find any did he slowly open his mouth and begin to speak. "I know you tell me not to worry but I can't help it, it worries me when you have meetings."

Sirius gave an annoyed sigh as he ran a hand through his long hair. Everything in him was telling him to follow his gut feeling and so he was going to and to bloody hell with the rest of them. "If you want to know what was discussed at the meeting I'm willing to share it with you Harry."

Once again Harry threw his godfather a skeptical look, searching for an ounce of dishonesty. Finally after several long moments he nodded. "Yes, I want to know." He pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"It was mostly about your safety Pup. Firstly your safety at Hogwarts…" Harry opened his mouth to speak but his godfather, sensing where it was going quickly beat him to it. "Should I choose to allow you to return that is."

Harry's shoulder's slumped gently.

"But Sirius…"

"Harry your behavior tonight was nothing short of perfect…please do not ruin it by getting into this argument with me." Sirius' tone was gentle but firm. He was in no mood to discuss Harry's returning to Hogwarts.

"Okay," Harry nodded in agreement forcing himself to keep any signs of an attitude out of his voice.

"Thank you," Sirius smiled a small smile, "Now as I was saying we discussed not only your safety in the castle but your safety here at home."

"But Dumbledore…"

"Has made this property extremely safe and it is safe Harry…I promise you it is. However, in the future…should it become an issue precautions would need to be taken."

"What kind of precautions?" Harry asked unable to keep the slightly confused expression off of his face.

"Dumbledore seems to think that should the need arise it may be in our best interest to go stay at Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. That is a very last resort though Pup, trust me."

"But you said that place is dangerous," Harry replied. "And you hate it there…we can't live where you hate."

"Well the house would be inspected first…the dangerous objects removed," Sirius explained, "And as I said it's a last resort…the very last resort."

Harry nodded slowly, taking this new information in. "What else did you discuss?"

"Your lessons with Remus," Sirius answered honestly, "Dumbledore thinks they are an excellent idea and they will continue. Remus is actually hoping you'd want to go with him tomorrow afternoon for one."

Harry nodded in response as a loud yawn escaped his mouth.

"And that's plenty of talk for tonight," Sirius smiled, "To bed with you. I am not taking a cranky twelve year old to Diagon Alley tomorrow."

"I'm almost thirteen," Harry argued. The words partially lost behind a wide yawn. He rubbed at his eye, stopping abruptly when the second half of his godfather's sentence hit him. A sleepy smile formed on his face. "We're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow?"

"If you ever get to bed we are you little mongrel you," Sirius chuckled. Gently, he pushed Harry's shoulder, causing his godson to fall back onto his pillow. He gently ruffled the hair on Harry's forehead before leaning over and giving him a kiss on a revealed spot.

"Wicked," Harry mumbled. Despite his obvious enthusiasm, it was obvious that he was quickly losing the battle with sleep. "I'm going to sleep now," he murmured, even as his eyes slowly closed.

"I can see that," Sirius said, laughing softly when the boy mumbled indiscernibly in response. He stood, smiling down at his godson for a moment longer. "And here I thought I was going to have to do a full body bind on you."

For a moment, Harry's eyes flickered, revealing sleep clouded emerald eyes. "You wouldn't either," Harry argued sleepily, fighting to stay conscious. "You'd never do that Sirius!"

Sirius shrugged slightly, placing a warm hand against his godson's forehead, and stroking softly. "Maybe I wouldn't," he agreed. His lips quirked slightly, as Harry closed his eyes once again, lulled by the motion of his hand.

"Thank you for making me so proud of you tonight Pup," Sirius whispered, ceasing the movement when he believed Harry to be asleep.

Quietly he made his way across the room, trying not to disturb Harry. His hand was on the doorknob when Harry spoke, his voice sleep laden yet understandable.

"Anything for you. Night Sirius."

Sirius smiled softly to himself as he let the quietly pulled the door shut behind him. _"I've got the best kid in the world." _

**TBC...**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note: As always thank you all so very much for all the reviews, emails, etc. And a special thank you to my lovely betas. Feel free to tell me what you love or hate here and I'll going to try and have the next chapter up early next week. Enjoy!**

**Mira**

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"This is really brilliant of you, thanks Sirius!"

Sirius smiled down at his godson. The two of them were standing in the middle of Quality Quidditch Supplies. Harry had, of course, been ecstatic at the idea of visiting Diagon Alley for the morning and also at the idea of having his second lesson with Remus in the afternoon.

"You are very welcome Pup," Sirius nodded, as he handed over the correct amount of money for the broom repair kit that his godson was holding.

Moments later, the two were out on the street, the sun shining brightly down upon them.

"Shall we stop by Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour before heading home then?" Sirius asked.

"Really?" Harry questioned in a skeptical voice. It was not unlike his godfather to buy them both some ice cream when they visited Diagon Alley, however, it was strange that he was offering it before lunch had been eaten.

"Just this once I suppose we could spoil our lunch," Sirius said with a smile as they headed in the general direction of the ice cream parlour.

Sirius and Harry took a seat in a large booth at the back of the shop and placed their order with a young witch, Sirius cleared his throat before starting a conversation.

"So what are we going to do in celebration of your birthday this year? Of course we have the World Cup the following week but we need to do something on your actual birthday don't we?"

Harry smiled at his godfather before he shrugged. "Can Ron and Hermione come over? If Ron isn't still mad at me then I mean?"

"They can," Sirius nodded. "I think it's a splendid idea to have the two of them over for the day."

Harry grinned at his godfather as the young witch reappeared, placing their dishes of ice cream before them.

"Any ideas about what you would like for your birthday?" Sirius asked once the witch had walked away. "Aside from having Ron and Hermione over for the day of course."

"You mean like a present?" Harry inquired as he picked up his spoon and took his first bite.

"Mmhmm like a present."

Harry pondered this a moment as he looked at his godfather. The man was obviously in a good mood, there was no denying that. After all, he had bought him a present and now he was allowing them to spoil their lunches with ice cream. And, unlike the past few weeks, he hadn't scolded or snapped once all day.

Harry ate another spoonful before he spoke. "Could being allowed to go back to Hogwarts count as a present?"

Sirius fixed his godson with a stern look and Harry's head immediately dropped as he concentrated intently on his ice cream.

Florean Fortescue's was quite crowded and Harry didn't have a doubt in his mind that he was about to be on the receiving end of a very public scolding.

Sirius hadn't even said a word yet and Harry could already feel the heat creeping up his neck.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, keeping his head down and his eyes fixed on the dish in front of him.

He heard Sirius sigh.

"Listen Pup I don't want you to think that I don't understand how you must feel," Sirius' voice was calm and quiet as he spoke. "I would have felt the same way had someone tried to take me away from Hogwarts while I was there but you need to trust me."

"I do," Harry spoke softly, finally allowing his eyes to meet his godfather's. "I trust you."

"Then you can trust that I will not stop you from going unless I am absolutely sure that it is for the best and at this moment I cannot make that decision."

Harry studied his godfather's face for a moment before he nodded once in agreement. He wanted to point out that it wasn't fair to keep him waiting for an answer. He wanted to say that it was his schooling they were discussing so he felt he should have a say in it. He wanted to explain to Sirius just how disappointed he would be if he honestly could not return to Hogwarts. But they were in the middle of Florean Fortescue's and it was crowded and the absolute last thing Harry wanted to do was cause a row in the middle of the crowded ice cream parlour and so, he didn't say anything at all.

* * *

"Straight to the Defense classroom," Sirius instructed as he and his godson stood in front of the gargoyle statue.

"What is your meeting with Dumbledore about?" Harry asked, not moving an inch.

"I'm not sure," Sirius replied honestly. And then he dropped his voice much lower, "And when you are in this castle it's Professor Dumbledore."

"You'll tell me later?" Harry asked, not acknowledging his godfather's quick reminder.

"We'll see. Now hurry up, Remus will be waiting for you," Sirius stated as he gave his godson a playful push in the right direction.

"What do you mean we'll see? You said before you would." Harry retorted, stopping dead in his tracks.

"I did?" Sirius asked. He honestly didn't remember ever saying anything of the sort.

"Well no," Harry admitted.

"Mmhm we'll see Pup. Now if you don't let me get up there I won't have much to tell you regardless."

"You told me stuff about the other meeting so why not this one? That isn't fair!" Harry replied with a little more attitude than he had really wanted.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his godson. "We are awful cheeky today," he noted.

Harry didn't reply but merely shrugged.

"If you'd rather we can go home and have a nap."

Harry shook his head in defeat. "I'm going to my lesson."

"I'm so glad you decided to cooperate," Sirius replied, swallowing a chuckle before he turned and said the correct password. Seconds later he disappeared up the spiral staircase.

Harry waited until he was sure his godfather was gone and then threw an annoyed look in the direction of the gargoyle.

He was so sick and tired of everyone always keeping things from him.

Without any sort of hurry in his step he made his way through the castle and towards the Defense classroom pondering what the meeting could possibly be about and how he could go about getting his godfather to fill him in on it.

Harry was so lost in thought that he almost walked right into the Defense classroom without even realizing the conversation that was taking place.

"I do apologize for delivering this as late as I am, but alas, I have managed to get it to you on time." Snape's cold voice was like nails on a chalkboard to Harry.

He abruptly stopped just outside the classroom and moved to the side of the doorway, leaning against the cold wall.

"Thank you kindly Severus," Remus' voice spoke. "I can never thank you enough for constantly doing this for me. It is entirely your doing that keeps me from dealing with a horrible transformation and I will never be able to repay you for your actions."

Harry's ears perked up at the word transformation.

"I assure you that it is merely Dumbledore that insists you are helped. I for one could care less if your transformation into a werewolf is less than satisfactory."

Harry's eyes nearly bugged out of his head. Remus was a werewolf? There was no way! Harry thought back on the many times Remus had missed class over the past year. He thought back to the time the previous summer when he had wanted to go and visit him and Sirius had come up with several excuses as to why they couldn't…something his godfather had never done before. He thought back to the time he had heard Snape refer to Remus as "wolf" and slowly it all began to piece together.

Remus was a bloody werewolf and no one had ever bothered to tell him!

Harry felt his temper rise at this realization.

His godfather who was forever going on about honesty had been lying to him all along! And if he could lie about Remus what else could he be lying about?

"Thank you all the same Severus," Remus spoke kindly.

Harry could hear the sound of Snape's long robes moving, coming closer to the door and he pressed himself as hard as he could against the cold wall and shut his eyes tightly.

He wasn't sure what he hoped to accomplish with this task. If Snape took the time to look even an inch to his left he would surely spot Harry in a heartbeat, still it was Harry's only defence. If he ran he would be spotted for sure.

"Eavesdropping Potter?"

Harry literally felt his blood run cold at Snape's words.

"I was just…I was…" Harry fought to find the words to explain himself.

"And unable to complete a sentence as per usual I see," Snape sneered.

Harry swallowed hard, fighting to keep his temper and attitude away. And then Remus appeared next to Snape.

"Harry," Remus forced a smile.

Everything about Remus from the look on his face to the sound of his voice, as well as his body language told Harry that Remus knew exactly what he had just heard.

Harry locked eyes with Remus for what felt like hours before he turned his head and quickly walked off with more attitude than he had shown in quite some time.

"Harry!" Remus called after him.

"Sod off," Harry muttered in reply.

He hadn't thought he had been loud enough for Remus to hear him, but he clearly had, for he heard Snape mutter his disapproval.

"Harry James!" Remus spoke in an aghast voice.

But Harry was already all the way down the long hallway, headed straight for the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room.

"Sod off!" He yelled in response as he turned the corner.

Once out of Remus and Snape's sight, he took off in a run. Stopping for only a moment in front of the Fat Lady, he spit out the last password he remembered using and miraculously the portrait swung open.

Picking up a handful of floo powder he contemplated going somewhere other than home. Remus would tell Sirius after all and it would only be a matter of time before Sirius came home. And he would know what Harry had said. He would know how rude he had just been.

"_No!" _His brain scolded him loudly. _"Remus lied! And there isn't a chance in hell that Sirius didn't know about this and so he lied too!"_

Still, as angry as he was, he knew he had to go home. A row with Sirius over Remus' being a werewolf was one thing….a row because he had disappeared again…Sirius would wallop him for sure.

Harry threw the floo powder into the fireplace in defeat and seconds later, stepped out into his own living room.

The house was quiet, but he knew it wouldn't last too long. Harry didn't want to be anywhere near his godfather when he arrived home.

He took the stairs two at a time and, despite the fact that no one was there to hear it, the house nearly shook under the force with which he slammed his bedroom door.

Harry kicked off his shoes, letting the right one bang into the wall. He pulled off his sweatshirt leaving it on the floor, a personal little jab at his godfather as Sirius constantly reminded him to pick his clothes up.

He fell face first onto his bed, his anger boiling inside of him. How was he supposed to trust his godfather when he had been lying all along! Angry hot tears threatened to spill out of his eyes but Harry blinked them back furiously.

"Harry James!" Sirius voice thundered from downstairs.

Instinctively Harry cringed as his godfather's angry tone, but he didn't answer.

Seconds later Harry's bedroom door swung open and Sirius walked inside looking more furious than Harry could remember seeing him in quite some time.

"What in Merlin's name would compel you to speak to Remus the way you just have?" Sirius asked in a stern voice.

Harry glared at his godfather but he didn't speak.

"Imagine my embarrassment when I receive a note in the middle of my meeting informing me of your behavior!"

Another silent glare.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his godson's defiant face. "If you value the lack of soap in your mouth at the moment…not to mention your bum, you'll wipe that look off of your face and answer me this instant."

The room was a blur to Harry as he jumped up off of his bed and onto his feet.

"You lied to me!" He all but yelled the words in his godfather's face.

"Excuse me?"

"Remus is a werewolf," Harry spat the words out, his throat burning with emotions. "How could you not tell me that?"

Harry instantly saw the expression on his godfather's face change. "That isn't something that is my business to tell and that is no excuse for how you treated…"

"No," Harry shook his head, "You lied Sirius. You can't keep things like that from me and expect me not to get mad when I find out! You want me to trust you but you lied!"

"Harry please try and understand that…"

"I don't want to understand," Harry stomped his foot, "All I am told to do is understand all the bloody time and it isn't fair!"

The moment his mini tantrum was over he instantly regretted it. Imagine stomping his foot just before he was about to turn thirteen. He felt his cheeks burn with the shame of his actions but he didn't stop.

"Harry you need to calm down and…"

"No!" Harry yelled. His brain was pleading with him to stop this charade and let his godfather speak but he couldn't. "Leave me alone! I don't want to talk to you!"

At these words Harry found himself back on his bed, his face buried in the pillows, though he honestly couldn't remember lying back down.

"I want you to listen to me and I want you to try and understand what I am about to say." Though he wasn't looking at his godfather, Harry could hear his heavy breathing and could clearly picture the look of disappointment and anger on his usually gentle face.

"Remus' situation is his own business and it is not my place to share it with anyone, yourself included, unless he wants me to do so."

"I don't want to talk," Harry replied. His voice was hoarse from the large lump in his throat that he had been repeatedly swallowing back down. He couldn't figure out if he wanted to cry out of anger about the situation or embarrassment in the way he was acting. Finally, he decided it was a mixture of both.

Sirius was going to kill him, Harry was sure of it. There was no way after the way he acted…the way he spoke to Remus that his godfather was just going to ignore it.

Harry heard his godfather sigh loudly. Harry prepared himself for one of two things. Either Sirius was going to ground him for the rest of his life or he was going to put him over his knee.

What he wasn't prepared for was to hear his godfather move across the room and then to hear his bedroom door close.

Harry lied there in silence, the only sound in the room that of his heavy breathing. Nearly five minutes passed and then Harry slowly moved his head, lifting his face out of the mound of pillows, to survey his room. And to his surprise, he found it completely empty.

**TBC...**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note: My apologies for taking so long with this update but my life has been a bit of a mess lately. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it. I'll try and have the next one up soon.**

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Harry lay on his side for what felt like an eternity. His throat burned as he continued to swallow down the large lump that hadn't diminished in the least. His stomach churned as his mind constantly replayed the horrible way he had acted over and over like one of those muggle movies. And his heart hurt not only when he thought about the fact that Sirius had lied to him but also when he thought about how he had yelled at Remus, not to mention his godfather. Why in Merlin's name did he have to have such a temper? Why did he have to turn everything into a row? The day had been going so well and now it was all mucked up.

Harry didn't know how long he laid there thinking, an hour…maybe two. It felt like hours and at the same time, it felt like no more than a few moments. He didn't look at the time as a result of being both too exhausted and not caring enough to know.

The house was quiet and he wondered if Sirius was even home or if he had left. Maybe he went back to his meeting. Or maybe he went to talk to Remus. Or maybe he was just too angry to do any of that…maybe he was in his own room or even the living room just sitting in anger. Yes, perhaps that was it; Sirius hadn't been back because he was too angry to come back. Harry swallowed hard at the thought.

Harry contemplated getting up and leaving his room. He thought about going off to find his godfather and dealing with everything. After all his godfather hadn't sentenced him to his room, but he knew Sirius well enough to know that the situation was far from over. There was no way his godfather was just going to let it go and act as if nothing had happened…just no way.

He pulled his legs up so that his knees were touching his chest as he once again swallowed down the large lump in his throat. His broom was going to be on the ground again for sure and he was positive that wouldn't be the end of his punishment.

He felt some remorse for the way he had yelled at both Sirius and Remus but he still couldn't help the annoyance he felt at never being told about Remus. He couldn't help but feel like he was never told anything important.

There was a knock at the door and though Harry said, "Come in", his voice was hardly above a whisper and he was sure it wasn't heard.

Still, seconds later the door opened.

Harry didn't bother to roll over and confirm that it was Sirius who had walked into his room, he didn't have to, he could tell just by the sound of his godfather's breathing…the heavy deep breathing that accompanied his godfather's usual gentle demeanor whenever he was upset.

Seconds later, Sirius appeared in front of Harry. With one hand he reached out and grabbed the back of his godson's desk chair and swung it out and around so that it faced Harry's bed. Sirius deposited himself into the chair and then his eyes met his godson's.

"Have we calmed down yet or do we need more time alone?"

Harry immediately noted that although his godfather's demeanor was obviously stern, his voice was surprisingly calm and gentle.

Harry kept his eyes downcast, concentrating intently on the top of his knees as he nodded once, "I'm calm and I'm sor…"

"No," Sirius cut him off calmly, "I don't want you to talk I just want you to listen."

Harry's eyes met his godfather's for a brief moment before they found his knees once more. Sirius didn't look angry and yet Harry still didn't like what he saw. He instantly noted that the look his godfather's eyes held was one he wasn't familiar with and he didn't like it one bit.

"When Remus was a very small boy, he was bitten by a werewolf named Fenrir Greyback. Greyback is still alive and is known for being a close follower of Voldemort." Sirius spoke, "Remus' parents tried everything but there was no cure in those days for a werewolf bite. The potion that Snape has been making for him has only been discovered very recently…in the last year or so...it makes him safe. As long as he takes it preceding the full moon he is able to transform and keep his mind...this also allows him to do things that others take for granted such as pertain a teaching job. Before Snape began making the Wolfsbane Potion though, Remus' transformation was quite painful for him. In fact when he was younger he wasn't even sure he'd be able to come to Hogwarts."

Harry's eyes flashed a look of questioning at his godfather. He couldn't believe the words the man was speaking. He had no idea that Remus carried such a secret and he couldn't imagine how horrible it would have been to be bitten by a werewolf at such a young age and aside from that to know that there was no cure.

"Other parents weren't likely to want their children exposed to him. However, when Dumbledore became Headmaster he was sympathetic. The Whomping Willow was planted because of Remus," Sirius explained, "The tunnel under it that leads to the Shrieking Shack was built for his use. Once a month he was smuggled out of the castle and into the Shrieking Shack to transform. The tree was placed where it is to stop anyone from coming across him when he was dangerous."

Sirius paused for a moment and though Harry was once again staring intently at his knees he heard his godfather take a deep breath before he spoke once more.

"Of course your father, Pettigrew, and I noticed that Remus disappeared once a month and although he tried to make up stories as to where he was, we eventually figured it out on our own. I think Remus attempted to hide it from us for fear that we wouldn't want to be his friend if we knew but of course that wasn't the case, instead we did something to try and help him."

"What did you do?" Harry asked.

At some point in his godfather's story he had lost the horrible feeling in his stomach and heart and the lump in his throat had vanished. He had found his voice again and his knees had lost interest, as he now held his godfather's stare.

"It was your father's idea actually and it took a lot of work that literally took years to get right but we became Animagi…illegal Animagi at that but Animagi all the same. It wasn't until our fifth year that we finally managed it but once we did we were able to keep Remus company. See a werewolf is only a danger to people so as animals we were safe. Once a month we would sneak out of the castle under your father's Invisibility Cloak. Being animals we were also able to keep Remus under check and therefore he was less dangerous. Of course because we were all together we would often leave the Shrieking Shack and roam the school grounds and village at night. It was dangerous of course but we were young and foolish…had we been caught…illegal Animagi…well I can't even imagine the trouble we would have been in.

"Padfoot?" Harry said in a curious voice, "Is that where it comes from?"

Sirius nodded. "I can transform into a dog, your father a stag, and Peter a rat. I've always wanted to tell you…to show you…but I didn't see how I could without telling you the whole story and it wasn't my story to tell."

Harry couldn't help the sense of pride he felt at knowing that his father and godfather had been such good friends to Remus…at knowing that it had been his father's idea for them to learn how to become Animagi. And then a horrible feeling of guilt overwhelmed him. They had all been so understanding upon learning about Remus and he had acted like a spoiled child. He opened his mouth to reply but his godfather cut him off.

"How you acted today towards Remus…"

"You're angry with me?" Harry asked before he could stop himself.

Sirius seemed to ponder this for a moment before he spoke. "For the majority of Remus' life he has had to deal with what he becomes...it isn't his fault nor is it his choice and yet he has constantly been treated as less of a person as a direct result of it. He has had to live his life in constant fear of the wrong person, or people, finding out. Imagine if the parents of your classmates knew? I'm sure some of them would react in a humane manner but for those who would…just as many wouldn't. It saddens me to say it but children would be pulled from Hogwarts…parents would be angered….that's just the reality of the situation. Remus has faced prejudice his entire life because of his condition."

Sirius paused for a moment as he fixed his godson with a stern look. "I'm not happy with your attitude or the level of disrespect you displayed but I am not angry with you Harry…I'm disappointed in you."

Harry felt his entire body flush as the lump quickly reappeared in his throat….the pain in his stomach back in full force.

Sirius sighed softly to himself before swallowing hard. Tough love…that was exactly what his godson needed, he just wished he didn't have to be the one to supply it.

"When you stormed off like that you didn't give anyone a chance to explain anything to you and as a result you hurt Remus immensely. Everything isn't always about you Harry and this time it certainly wasn't. It would only benefit you to learn how to get that temper of yours under control and keep it there. Remus is sitting at Hogwarts right now trying to figure out if you are simply upset because you weren't aware of his situation or if you are disgusted by what he is and I am ashamed that my godson made him feel that way."

A tear made its way down his face, across his nose, and onto the pillow as Harry surrendered to the lump in his throat.

"I never thought I would have to say this to you but if your father was alive and he saw the way you acted today he would have been disappointed as well and I am confident in saying that he would have made his disappointment well known."

The one tear quickly turned into several as the flood gates opened.

"And I do understand that you did not mean to hurt Remus, I am not implying that it was a purposeful action…you have every right to be angry if that's what you feel but being angry does not excuse being cruel."

"I'm sorry," Harry choked out the words through his tears and battered breathing.

"I don't doubt that you are…however I am not the person you need to be apologizing too."

"He probably hates me," Harry shook his head as he swiped furiously at the tears running down his face.

"He could never hate you Harry...he is hurt and I am sure that he would appreciate your apology and understanding."

"Can I…can I go see him?"

"You may," Sirius nodded.

* * *

Harry stood outside of Remus' office trying to find the courage to knock on the door. He had already been standing there for several moments reminding himself that he was a Gryffindor…reminding himself that he had faced Voldemort himself less than eight weeks ago…and yet if given the choice he would face him again over Remus at this very moment.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door and waited until he heard Remus call out that he could enter.

Harry pushed the heavy door open expecting to see his favorite professor wearing a furious look and instead he found the man sitting at his desk looking as though he had lost his best friend and concentrating hard on the parchment he was writing on.

He didn't bother to look up as Harry walked in.

"Remus," Harry said in a soft voice as he walked across the room.

Remus glanced up at the boy and gave him a small nod.

"Can I…can I talk to you?" Harry asked as he approached the man's desk. It suddenly occurred to him that he had very recently been crying quite hard and he hoped it wasn't too obvious.

Remus sighed softly as he continued writing, "If Sirius made you come here and…"

"He didn't," Harry cut him off, "He didn't tell me to come talk to you…I wanted to. I wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I said to you and how I acted. I wasn't upset that you're…you know…I was mad because no one ever told me and sometimes it feels like no one ever tells me anything."

Remus remained silent.

"I could never think that you're bad or anything like that and I never meant to make you feel that way," Harry continued, once more fighting the lump which had re-appeared in his throat. "And I understand if you're mad at me….I would be mad at me if I were you."

"I'm not mad at you," Remus spoke softly, finally putting down his quill and looking up at Harry. "I apologize for never telling you. I never kept you in the dark to intentionally hurt you Harry, it's just such a delicate subject…I have to be very careful who is aware of my condition and who isn't and that's not to say that I don't trust you but simply that you were quite young when you came into my life."

Harry nodded his understanding. "I'm sorry I spoke to you the way that I did."

"Perhaps I deserved it," Remus smiled as he stood and walked around his desk.

Once in front of it he leaned back, perching on the edge of it.

"You didn't," Harry shook his head, "I was just being a git."

Remus chuckled softly at the boy's choice of words. "Nevertheless thank you very much for coming and speaking with me Harry…you have no idea how much it means to me to have your forgiveness and understanding."

"Thanks for forgiving me too," Harry smiled before he took a step and embraced Remus in a hug. "I love you."

Remus smiled deeply as he squeezed the boy tighter in his embrace. "I love you too Harry James Potter."

**TBC...**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: I know it has been forever since I have updated this and if I still have any readers left at all forgive me. School has been kicking my butt but as of 3pm tomorrow I am officially done my freshman year of college and I promise I will be updating more often. So enjoy this chapter and thank you to my lovely betas for all your help and I'll update again soon.**

* * *

Nearly an hour passed before Harry stepped back through the fireplace. Straightening, he saw his godfather sitting in his armchair. It was a familiar sight, and he was comforted by it.

Sirius appeared to be deeply engrossed with reading an article in The Daily Prophet. However, upon seeing his godson appear before him he closed the newspaper and set it aside.

Harry's first instinct was to keep his face downcast. He hadn't been crying for awhile but he could feel that his eyes were still quite puffy. However, without meaning to do so he glanced up at his godfather's face, his curiosity getting the best of him as it usually did. He instantly noted that although Sirius didn't look angry, his face didn't appear to be completely back to normal either.

His expression caused Harry to hesitate only briefly, because he was feeling absolutely exhausted by the day's events. Harry practically fell onto the couch, allowing his head to sink into the cushion behind him.

"Things with Remus are well?" Sirius inquired as he eyed up his godson.

Sirius forced himself to remain stern. Of course he had been cross with his godson over the complete and total embarrassment he had felt when he was notified of Harry's behavior. Still…he could also understand his godson's behavior after all he could certainly remember what it felt like to be young and to feel as if no one ever told you anything.

"Yeah," Harry nodded before locking eyes with his godfather. "And I am sorry Sirius…I'm sorry I embarrassed you. I honestly didn't mean to."

Sirius ran a hand through his long hair before leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees.

"You are forgiven as you always are and always will be. However, I do think that you should spend the next hour or two in your room."

Harry nodded silently. He hardly wanted to be sent to his room but considering he had expected a punishment of much worse proportions he wasn't about to complain either.

Fighting a yawn, Harry pulled himself up off the couch and began heading for the stairs.

"I'm not trying to offend you in the least but after the day you've had, a nap before supper may not be a horrible idea," Sirius suggested. His voice was miles away from the strict tone he had been carrying and closer to his normal happy tone.

Harry wanted to point out that as his godfather had just said, he was nearly thirteen and in his opinion much too old to be told to take a nap but there was no way he would be able to speak through all the yawning he was doing.

* * *

Two weeks passed since the incident, and it found Harry's godfather having a serious discussion with Remus.

"He should hardly be left alone," Remus noted as he sipped his tea, "And once he gets wind of the Weasley children being permitted to go I can't imagine what his reaction will be."

"I can't believe Molly and Arthur are allowing their children to do this," Sirius replied. His teacup was sitting in front of him as full as it had been nearly twenty minutes ago when he placed it on the table. After hearing Remus' news he had completely lost any desire to relax. This was far from an idle conversation with an old friend after all.

"I'm positive that after last time they simply feel that they haven't much a choice," Remus offered an explanation, roughly paraphrasing the sentiments Arthur had conveyed to him.

Sirius sighed as his eyes roamed to the window overlooking the backyard. Harry was flying around a few feet above the ground, content with keeping himself amused.

"It is too dangerous. Harry…"

"Proved himself to listen last time if I remember correctly," Remus smiled softly, "I'm sure if you explained to him…if you really explained and set boundaries that he'll listen and be safe. I know Molly isn't permitting her children to be in the room, I'm sure if the children are upstairs or…"

"It still isn't completely safe," Sirius shook his head his eyes still locked on his godson who appeared to be trying to beat his best time at catching a snitch.

"Nothing is completely safe Padfoot…but then he is your godson and it is of course up to you."

"It most certainly is," Sirius nodded.

"And if you say he isn't allowed to go then that is that and it hardly matters whether his friends are going or not."

Sirius sighed as he pulled his eyes from his godson locking his grey eyes with Remus' brown ones. "I'll speak to him when he comes in but if I see even a hint of mischief in his eyes he is staying home, I'll put him to bed and conjure a full body bind if I have to!"

Remus chuckled slightly as he sipped his tea once more, "Whatever you say Padfoot."

* * *

Remus was long gone by the time Harry trudged in the back door, his broom in his hand, his hair an unruly mess, his cheeks flushed from a combination of the sun and the wind.

"Remus left already?" Harry asked as he placed his broom in the closet across from the kitchen table.

"Remus has been gone for nearly two hours," Sirius chuckled from his place in front of the stove where he was preparing supper. He glanced over his shoulder to see his godson. "Go wash up for dinner please."

"My hands aren't dirty," Harry replied holding his hands out for proof.

"Wash them anyway, you've been outside and be quick about it please dinner is ready and I need to speak to you about something."

Harry raised an eyebrow at his godfather. Had Sirius seen him attempt to stand on his broom earlier?

"You aren't in trouble Pup," Sirius assured the boy. He knew the look on his godson's face well enough to answer Harry's question without it being asked.

"Well then what…"

Sirius sighed as he dished the stew he had made into bowls and carried them towards the table.

"Just please go wash up Pup and then we'll talk."

Harry was already half way out of the room as he called his agreement over his shoulder. He took the stairs two at a time to his bathroom and quickly washed his hands and face before rushing back down to the kitchen. Taking his normal seat he eagerly looked at his godfather.

Sirius suppressed a chuckle as he put down his spoon. If he thought he was going to eat anything at all before talking with his godson he must have been mistaken.

"Firstly I want you to be very well aware that the only reason I am even entertaining this idea is because of the excellent behavior you displayed when you didn't follow the Weasley children into trouble."

"What idea?' Harry asked. Now that his godfather had spoken he was, if possible, even more eager to know what this was about.

"I have a meeting to attend tonight and apparently Molly and Arthur are having a bit of a problem trusting their children to obey them. Percy is on holiday visiting Bill and so there isn't anyone to watch the twins, Ron, and Ginny."

Harry starred at his godfather completely confused as to where this conversation was going.

"Now despite the fact that I'm not completely convinced it's the best idea, Molly and Arthur are going to bring their children along to the meeting and allow them to be upstairs while the meeting is going on downstairs."

"So I can go too?" Harry asked. His excitement was hardly containable. Not only was he going to get to hang out with the Weasley's but he was kind of even going along for a meeting. Not really considering the chances of Sirius allowing him to be around for any of it was slim to none but still it was better than staying home.

"Well I hardly think it's fair to leave you home alone while they are there," Sirius explained.

The smile that overtook Harry's face was uncontainable and his godfather went stern the moment he saw it.

"I expect you to listen though Harry, any disobedience and we'll come right home."

Harry nodded quickly. "I know."

And he did know. He wasn't about to muck this up and get himself into any trouble on his very first visit.

Sirius held his godson's stare for a moment before he nodded softly. "Alright eat your supper and we'll be on our way then."

* * *

"I wasn't aware pre-school was in succession."

The cold voice of Snape sent chills down Harry's spine as he felt his godfather's hand on his shoulder.

"This is my house and it's hardly your concern who…"

"Harry!" Dumbledore's voice bounded loudly cutting off Sirius and adding some cheerfulness to the tension in the room. "So good to see you my boy!"

"Professor," Harry nodded giving his headmaster a small smile.

"I believe the Weasley children are already upstairs, engaged in something I am sure," Dumbledore smiled.

Harry cocked his head to the side and looked up at his godfather.

"Go on," Sirius said softly with a nod, "And remember what I said."

Harry nodded as he walked towards the stairs fighting the urge to blush at his godfather's statement.

* * *

"Bloody boring is what this is," Fred complained as he lay sprawled out across a bed.

The teenagers had been confined to a rather large bedroom. Although it obviously had  
not been used in years, it was still surprisingly clean.

Ginny looked up from the game of exploding snap that she was playing with Harry and Ron. "Mum will kill you."

"All I said was that I am bored."

"You have that look about you," Ginny observed causing Harry to suppress a chuckle. The youngest Weasley looked so much like her mother in that moment that he couldn't help it.

"We have an extendable ear with us you know," George pointed out. The red head had been sitting on the floor leaning against the bed and watching the game the younger children were playing.

"Mum will kill you," Ginny repeated, "Daddy may even help her."

"But if we just stand at the top of the stairs and drop the ear down and…"

"He isn't your son!" Sirius' voice all but screamed from below, interrupting the conversation. All eyes turned to the door, curiosity evident on all of their faces.

"He isn't yours either!" A second voice yelled back just as loudly.

Fred Weasley nearly kicked his twin in the head as he sprang off the bed and opened the bedroom door.

"Fred," Ron said in a cautious voice. It was clear to Harry that although Ron wasn't going to come right out and express himself like Ginny had he wasn't exactly keen on getting into trouble again either.

"What?" Fred asked, a mischievous smile on his face, "It's hardly our fault they are being so loud about everything."

Ron still looked like he didn't agree with his brother but he kept his mouth shut. Harry, on the other hand, agreed with Fred one hundred and ten percent. Of course he had every intention of obeying his godfather but as Fred had pointed out, it was hardly his fault if they were being loud. Surely Sirius couldn't blame him for that.

And then as if he conjured him up from his thoughts Sirius appeared in the doorway.

He eyed up the five children for a moment before he spoke. "Come on Harry, we need to go."

Harry gave his godfather a confused look from his spot on the bedroom floor.

"Now please," Sirius said in a voice that came out a bit more stern then he would have liked.

Harry pulled himself up off the floor and was across the room in seconds. There was no way he was going to make his godfather ask him a third time, not when Sirius had that look on his face.

He nearly had to run to keep up with his godfather as the two descended down the stairs. Remus was standing at the bottom and Harry locked eyes with him, hoping for some sort of explanation.

"Padfoot honestly don't you think if you just discuss this…"

"There is nothing to discuss," Sirius answered in a low and deadly voice, "He is my responsibility and the decision is mine and that overgrown bat…" Sirius stopped himself as if suddenly becoming aware that his godson was in fact standing right beside him.

Remus opened his mouth to speak once more but Sirius cut him off as he turned to his godson. "Let's go Harry."

Harry glanced up at his godfather. He was ready and willing to go whenever Sirius made the first move…no way was he going to argue.

"Severus please," Harry heard Dumbledore's voice seconds before Snape appeared in the hallway.

"I warn you Snivellus,you will go crawl back into your cave," Sirius spoke causing Harry to practically gasp in shock.

"How very terrified I am at the thought of a mangy mutt such as yourself making threats. However this is not about me nor is about you. You have absolutely no idea the harm he could do if he wanted to and he will want to."

"He murdered my best friends so I am pretty sure I have every idea about his capabilities," Sirius shot back.

Harry could practically feel the anger radiating off his godfather.

"And if you don't want to see history repeating itself I highly suggest that you re-think my generous offer as well as the advice I have given this evening."

Once again Sirius looked down at his godson as if he just realized the teen was in the room.

"Let's go Harry," Sirius said the words once more but this time he made good on them, turning and walking towards the fireplace with Harry following so closely behind that if Sirius stopped moving he was sure to walk right into him.

"Up to bed with you," Sirius spoke the moment Harry stepped out of the fireplace. "It's getting late."

Harry immediately forgot how cross his godfather was. There was absolutely no way he was going to bed without knowing what was going on. It concerned him after all.

"Sirius-"

"To bed," his godfather bid again, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He was obviously not in the mood for any disobedience from Harry, however, the teenager ignored the warning signs. He had a right to know.

"No! Sirius that's not fair!"

Sirius glared down at his godson, silently scolding him. The look boded ill for him, and Harry felt his temper cooling quickly. It was no match for Sirius' after all, and he did look quite fierce at the moment.

"I uhh I mean you were talking about me," Harry quickly tried to explain himself in a much softer tone; "Don't I have a right to know what about? What did Snape mean his advice and offer?"

Sirius' face appeared to soften but sadly it only lasted a moment before his stern demeanor overtook once more. Harry noted that his godfather looked exhausted and he wondered if it was just from the meeting or if he had looked like that all day. He couldn't remember noticing it before they had left the house.

"To bed this instant please."

"But you aren't being fair," Harry tried to argue fighting hard to keep his voice at an even tone and his attitude at bay.

"It isn't my job to be fair now get yourself upstairs and into the bath," Sirius instructed.

"Sirius no!" Harry nearly stamped his foot in frustration. Why was his godfather so unreasonable?

There was a long moment of silence as Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose. After what felt like an eternity to Harry his godfather let his hand drop to his side once more.

"This is your final chance Harry James," Sirius said, the words emerging in a low tone. "Go upstairs and get in the bath and then into bed please. Otherwise you will be doing both with a sore bum."

Harry glared at his godfather, staying rooted to his spot near the bottom of the stairs.

"You will be thirteen in a little over a week," Sirius said, "Do I really need to put you over my knee tonight?"

Harry held his stare with his godfather for another moment before he turned and walked up the stairs with as much attitude as he dared. He could feel his face blushing to the tips of his ears and he was sure he had never felt so angry with Sirius in all his life.

* * *

Over an hour later, Harry was still lying awake in his bed. His cheek pushed against the pillow that was still slightly damp as a result of the wet hair he had gotten into bed with.

Sirius had gone into his own bedroom nearly twenty minutes ago and Harry hadn't heard a single sound since.

He had half toyed with the idea of sneaking downstairs and floo calling over to the Burrow. Ron probably knew more of what was going on than he did and that thought alone made his blood boil at his godfather. Still, angry with the man or not, Harry hardly wanted to face him if he was caught at the Burrow at all hours of the night.

"Still awake?"

Harry heard his godfather's voice at the door but he didn't move. His only response was a half shrug that he somehow managed despite the fact that he was lying on his stomach.

Harry heard his godfather sigh softly and then walk across the room. He felt the man sit gently on the edge of the bed. Slowly Harry let his eyes roam down and confirm the fact that Sirius was sitting there in the darkness.

"You're cross with me," Sirius stated, "And I don't blame you Harry…I wasn't being fair to you at all and I apologize for that."

To say he was shocked would be an understatement and without realizing it Harry replied instantly, "Its okay Sirius."

"It isn't," Sirius shook his head.

The two were quiet for a moment.

Harry slowly rolled over onto his back and then pulled himself into a sitting position, hugging his knees close to his chest. "It's just hard to know things are about me but not know about those things you know?" Harry was hardly sure the words even made sense to him and yet his godfather nodded in reply.

"Snape wants to continue occlumency lessons with you, starting as early as next week. There is still a great fear that Voldemort will try to control your thoughts."

Harry cringed at the thought of his private lessons with Snape resuming but he nodded any way supposing that he could understand the reasoning. "Do you not want me to? Is that why you yelled at Snape that I'm not his son?"

"Eavesdropping were we?" Sirius asked.

Harry shook his head. "No it was just kind of hard not to hear that part."

"The Ministry is refusing to believe that Voldemort is back and there is some concern as to what this will mean for you."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Rita Skeeter is apparently getting herself involved," Sirius explained causing his godson to wince at the name.

"But if he isn't back then how do they explain what happened in the graveyard?" Harry asked. "How did Cedric die? Do they think I am just making it all up?"

"I'm not sure Pup," Sirius replied but it was obvious to Harry by the tone his godfather used and the expression on his face that the Ministry most definitely thought he was just making it all up.

"You believe me right?" Harry asked in a soft voice.

"Yes," Sirius nodded forcefully, "Yes I do and so does everyone else that matters."

"But Snape doesn't?" Harry asked in a confused voice.

"He does Harry, he just feels that precautions should be taken."

"Precautions such as?"

"Such as the Quidditch World Cup, it's been brought up that perhaps going wouldn't be…"

"Sirius no!" Harry cut off his godfather frantically.

The Quidditch World Cup was just over two weeks away and the last thing Harry wanted was to miss it, especially because that stupid git Snape said he should.

"He just hates me, he doesn't want me to go and have fun."

"Harry he does not hate you," Sirius spoke, "And I never said we weren't going to go."

"You promise we'll go?" Harry asked.

"Absolutely not, anything could happen in between now and then and I can't make a promise like that," Sirius replied.

"But Sirius…."

"No I'm not making such a promise," Sirius cut his godson off, "However I do promise that everything involving the Quidditch World Cup will be discussed between the two of us before any decisions are made."

"So I have a say in whether we go or not?" Harry asked in a hopeful voice.

"Of course you have a say," Sirius smiled as he stood up and then gently pushed his godson down onto his back, "And I'll do my best to make sure we are there…now it really is getting late and…"

"Just one more thing," Harry cut his godfather off.

Sirius sighed softly and then smiled, "Alright one more thing."

"Don't listen to Snape."

"Harry I've just explained to you that the decision of where to allow you to go does not belong to Snape and…"

"No," Harry interrupted through a yawn, "Not about that. He said you aren't my father but he's wrong about that. I mean you aren't technically but you really are right?"

Sirius nodded as a smile danced on his lips, "Yes Pup I am and as your father I am demanding you get some sleep this instant."

Harry returned the smile as he allowed his eyes to close. "And as your son I suppose I'll listen."

**TBC...**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: First of all I want to apologize for taking forever and a day to get this chapter up…my summer has been crazy so far. I hope you all enjoy it and feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it…nicely :)**

**And I wanted to mention that I have been posting short stories here and there, two so far which are in the same universe as this story if anyone wants to check them out.**

* * *

"I believe his first lesson will be later this afternoon will it not?" Dumbledore asked.

"Unfortunately you are correct," Snape nodded. "Though I honestly don't know why we are continuing these lessons. The boy is not gifted in the least when it comes to this area, nor does he even give any effort at all."

"I'm sorry Severus but I must disagree," Dumbledore spoke softly. "I have always found Harry to be quite gifted in all areas of magic. When I had a lesson with the child he performed very well given his age and the short amount of time he had been learning."

"Forgive me for speaking ill of your precious golden boy but the child is as lazy as they come. His work in potions has always been mediocre at best and his dedication to learning this complicated…"

"He is only twelve Severus and as you've just said it is complicated," Dumbledore smiled.

"Complicated but not entirely impossible."

Dumbledore nodded slightly in agreement. "Regardless of whether it is complicated or not I am counting on you to help him learn this. You know the importance of this task. When the boy returns to Hogwarts in the fall…"

"His godfather is permitting him to return then? After the disaster last year was?" Snape asked with a sneer.

"Sadly Sirius has yet to make a decision. However, I hardly think that anything that happened last year was Harry's fault."

"Perhaps not but he certainly didn't help the matter did he? Always running headlong into trouble without a care in the world for his safety or anyone else's."

"I think Harry cares a great deal about other's safety."

Once more Snape sneered, shaking his head at the thought.

"I can't thank you enough for taking time out of your summer to help him Severus and I know Sirius thanks you as well."

"I am not doing this for that mutt," Snape replied, "I am doing this for Lily and only Lily."

"Of course," Dumbledore nodded as he picked a lemon drop up out of his sweet dish and popped it into his mouth. "Can I offer you one?"

"No thank you," Snape declined before he spoke once more. "And what of his gaining power? Is his godfather aware that the house will not be safer for much longer? Will they move?"

"Sirius has known that the time would eventually come but he is not aware of how rapidly it is approaching. I will need you to send word to him of the situation if possible."

Snape nodded silently.

* * *

"You can be angry with me all you like," Sirius spoke in a calm voice as he waited for his godson to finish tying his left trainer, "But we already talked about this and it isn't up for negotiation."

"Why are you even siding with him? And it's summer! I shouldn't have to do this in the summer! I thought it wasn't going to start until the school year does."

Harry looked up at his godfather who was standing next to the fireplace. It had been three days since the meeting and Sirius' mood had improved greatly. The last thing Harry wanted to do was ruin that but he didn't want to back down either...he wanted answers.

"I am not siding with him. Dumbledore thinks this is for the best as well and so do I. Now I am sorry if you do not agree with that but unfortunately for you, you are twelve years old and..."

"Almost thirteen," Harry interrupted as he righted himself, his trainers now secured on his feet.

"Almost thirteen is a far cry from seventeen which is the age you will be when you no longer have to obey what I say," Sirius replied. "Now are we ready to go?"

"It's summer," Harry repeated.

"I'm aware of the season."

"You know what I mean! Why do I have to do this in the summer?"

"You have lessons with Remus and its summer and I don't hear any complaints about those," Sirius pointed out as he picked up a handful of floo powder from its place on the mantel.

"That's different! You know its different Sirius! I like my lessons with Remus...I hate these lessons!" His voice was climbing in volume.

"I know you do."

"And its summer Sirius! No one else has to do stupid summer lessons...not Ron or Hermione so it's not fair that I have to!" His voice was dangerously close to a whine.

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. "Harry..."

"I know it's for my own good and you're losing your patience and in a minute I'm going to go with a sore bum," Harry interrupted his godfather in a defeated voice.

Sirius' grey eyes opened and he looked down at his godson. The boy was standing in front of him, his arms sagging down at his sides, his face one of sheer misery. And he couldn't help but wonder, 'was that_ really_ what he sounded like to his godson?' Because if he did...Merlin, he sounded just like Mr. Potter.

"Hey," Sirius said softly as he squatted down in front of the boy, "I don't recall saying anything about losing my patience or the fate of your bum."

Harry gave a half shrug as he looked down at his feet.

"I know you don't like these lessons Harry and I am sorry but you have to go to them. Your safety is the most important thing and if making you suffer through a few summer lessons is what I have to do to keep you safe then so be it."

"I know...it's just that Snape can be so mean sometimes and I can't even do legilimency," Harry complained in a soft voice, fighting hard to keep it free of any whine.

"Well I believe that's the purpose of the lessons Pup...to learn it."

"I know but he's mean about it because I can't and..."

"If Snape is mean I want you to tell me about it and I will take care of it...however, I have hope that he won't be outright horrible."

Harry opened his mouth to speak once more but Sirius quickly cut him off, "I don't want to hear of you being disrespectful or misbehaving during these lessons either though Harry. Snape is doing us both a great favor by offering to teach you during his summer vacation and though I know you aren't fond of him I do expect you to behave yourself."

Harry nodded at these words.

"Could you please look at me and not at your feet when I am speaking?"

Sirius asked.

Harry's head instantly snapped up, his green eyes meeting his godfather's grey ones.

"Am I to assume that nod means you'll behave?" Sirius asked hoping he sounded a bit sterner than he felt.

"Yes," Harry muttered, "I'll behave."

"Good," Sirius nodded as he stood up, "Perhaps this weekend Ron could come and stay."

"Really?" Harry asked, his face brightening up considerably.

"I don't see why not...if Molly and Arthur agree to it that is."

Sirius stepped into the fireplace with Harry at his side.

"Can you owl Mrs. Weasley today and ask her?" Harry asked in an excited voice.

"I think I could," Sirius smiled before he threw the floo powder into the air, stating their destination in a loud, clear voice.

* * *

"You are not letting go of your emotions and that is why it is not working," Snape spoke in his usual icy tone. "Let's try once more."

The two had been going at it for over thirty minutes and Harry was beginning to feel his temper boil. Snape wasn't being mean exactly but then he wasn't being nice or helpful either and Harry just knew that the old bat found joy in watching him fail. He knew he was enjoying forcing himself into his memories and as a result forcing Harry onto the ground in exhaustion.

"Now concentrate on letting go of all your emotions," Snape spoke once more.

Harry nodded, swallowing down the few choice words that were swimming in his brain for a reply.

"I believe you have spent two school years in my classroom young man, you should be more than aware by now that I expect verbal answers. I am not wasting my time if you can't even be bothered to reply in an orderly way."

"Yes Sir," Harry forced out through gritted teeth.

"One...two...three..."

The room quickly vanished as Harry saw himself in the common room talking with Ron and Hermione...on the Quidditch pitch...at Hogsmeade with Sirius...

Harry quickly got a hold of his brain and forced Snape out, only to find himself on the cold floor when he re-opened his eyes.

"Are you enjoying wasting my time Potter? Honestly are you even trying anymore?"

"I am trying!" Harry all but yelled.

Snape raised an eyebrow at the young boy in front of him.

"Sir," he added hastily. "I am trying Sir."

Snape sighed loudly as he turned away from the teenager and towards his desk. He leaned over as he began writing something. "You are excused Potter, however, I expect better results during your next lesson."

"Yes Sir," Harry replied quickly already making his way towards the door.

"Stop," Snape spoke.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks, turning around slowly to face the man. He knew it was too good to be true that Snape would let him leave so easily.

The man thrust forward a folded piece of parchment.

"You will deliver this to your godfather," Snape spoke in a no nonsense tone, "And be warned Potter it is for his eyes alone. If you try to open this you will not be pleased with the consequences. Am I clear?"

"Yes Sir," Harry nodded as he took the parchment from the man's cold hand.

"Now you may leave and please walk as you do so...running is meant for the outdoors, not inside and certainly not in my dungeon."

Slowly Harry turned and walked towards the door. He managed to keep his speed at a minimum, that is until he closed the door behind him and then he took off in a full fledged run towards Remus' office.

* * *

"So what does it say?" Harry asked as he took a bite of his biscuit.

"It says that people shouldn't speak with food in their mouths," Sirius mused in a reminding tone.

Harry gave his godfather a pointed look but took a long drink of his butterbeer, washing the biscuit down.

"It doesn't concern you Pup...though it does mention that you were well behaved during your lesson...thank you for that."

"I told you I would behave," Harry replied in a somewhat annoyed tone, "He doesn't need to send you letters about how I have."

"The letter wasn't about that, it just mentioned that," Sirius clarified. "And you should be pleased, he spoke well of you in the letter which is saying something for Snape, is it not?"

"I guess," Harry muttered. He paused for a moment taking another drink of his butterbeer before he spoke once more. "But so what did the letter say?" He asked once more hoping his godfather would just tell him.

"You know," Sirius smiled, "Sometimes you are too curious for your own good."

Harry shrugged sheepishly. "Maybe."

Sirius cleared his throat before he spoke once more, this time in a much sterner voice. "The contents of that letter are absolutely none of your concern. I know I've been lenient lately...allowing you to go to the meeting, talking to you about things...but this is not up for debate and I'm sorry but I'm not going to share what was in that letter with you so please stop asking."

"Okay," Harry nodded studying the label on his drink intently, his cheeks flushing slightly at the light scolding he had just received.

Sirius sighed instantly feeling bad about the words he had just spoken. He hadn't meant to reprimand his godson so harshly.

After all he supposed it was only normal for the boy to be curious especially considering that the majority of things that were normally spoken about between Snape and himself were about Harry.

For several moments, the pair sat in silence.

"Hey," Sirius finally spoke, "I sent word to Mrs. Weasley a few hours ago asking if we could entertain Ron for the weekend and I'm sure she'll be getting back to me any moment now."

"Yeah?" Harry smiled.

"Mmhmm and then we have to plan a birthday party for you. I assume you want both Ron and Hermione here...and the other Weasley's as well?"

"Is that okay?" Harry asked.

"Of course it is," Sirius smiled, "I was thinking we should invite Remus as well and maybe Dumbledore."

"Yes please," Harry smiled before finishing off the last of his butterbeer, his thoughts of the contents of the letter long forgotten.

* * *

"Harry let's go," Sirius called up the stairs, "I'm going to be late."

"Just a sec," the reply came from the boy's bedroom.

Sirius shook his head as he headed towards the living room. The meeting was scheduled to start at seven which left them less than two minutes to floo over. He had been hesitant to take Harry along. After all he hadn't wanted to the first time around and he hardly wanted Harry to get into the habit of thinking he was allowed to be around during the meetings. But then again if things continued down the path they were going he supposed Harry should get used to the house and besides the Weasley children were going to be there again as well.

"Harry you have ten seconds to get down here or I am going to cast a body bind on you and leave you on your bed until I get back," Sirius hollered.

The last word just escaped his lips when his godson came running down the stairs, his chest set in his hands.

"Merlin Pup what took you so long?" Sirius asked as he grabbed a handful of floo powder.

"Sorry," Harry shrugged sheepishly, "I couldn't find a Queen, she was under my bed."

Sirius smiled as he ushered the boy into the fireplace. "Well I'm glad you located her now please let's hurry."

Seconds later the two stepped out into the large living room.

"Hello Harry," Mrs. Weasley smiled the moment she saw him, "How are you love?"

"Good," Harry returned the smile, "Is Ron already upstairs?"

"He is as are the others."

"I'm gonna go up okay?" Harry asked his godfather.

Sirius nodded, "To the same bedroom you were in before and no where else, those other rooms aren't all completely safe."

Harry nodded his understanding as he headed towards the hall staircase, eager to get out of sight before Snape arrived.

"So he wrote a letter about you?" Ron asked as he moved his knight across the board.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know if it's about me, I'm just assuming it is."

"It always is," Ron replied nodding.

"Maybe not," Ginny said from her spot on the bed, "It could be about anything."

"It's most definitely about Harry," Fred nodded.

"It's not as if Snape and Sirius are exchanging knitting patterns is it?" George added from his position near the open door.

The group had decided that it was far too risky to creep down the stairs and eavesdrop on the conversation, however they had agreed that leaving the door open and George sitting near it to listen was acceptable. After all if they heard anything it was only because the adults were speaking far too loudly and they could hardly be blamed for that.

"And Sirius wouldn't tell you what it said?" Ron asked despite the fact that they had already discussed Sirius' reaction to Harry asking.

"No," Harry shook his head, "But he doesn't really tell me much anymore, not since the end of the Tournament."

"Maybe there isn't much to tell," Ginny said softly.

"Course there is," Fred replied, "We're sitting upstairs above an Order meeting aren't we? What do you think they are discussing down there?"

"There's plenty going on, they are all just being extra careful not to say too much," George added, "And Sirius is no exception."

Harry nodded as he thought this over. The twins did have a point…if they were having Order meetings it was to discuss something and they were having a meeting a week.

"Did Sirius say if you could come back to Hogwarts yet?" Ron asked.

"You might not come back?" Ginny nearly shrieked.

"He hasn't said," Harry admitted.

"Have you asked him?" Fred asked.

"Can't," Harry shook his head, "Every time I do he just gets angry about it."

"You have to come back," Ginny said, looking nearly heart broken at the thought of a Hogwarts without Harry.

"He'll let you," George nodded, "He has to doesn't he? What else can you do? How will you learn?"

"Private lessons with Remus I guess," Harry shrugged, "And I guess Sirius could teach me too."

"He and you are still going to come to the Quidditch World Cup right?" Ron asked. "I mean you have to Harry, you can't miss that."

"Yeah…yeah we're gonna go," Harry answered though he wasn't entirely sure if that was the case or not.

"It's going to be wicked," Fred nodded.

"Can you believe Percy doesn't want to go?" Ron asked Harry with a horrified look on his face.

"I can't believe dad thought he would want to in the first place," George noted.

"I'm glad he doesn't want to, now I get his ticket," Ginny smiled.

"Let's go children," Molly Weasley's voice rang up the stairs, "You as well Harry."

Harry and Ron quickly packed up the chess game and then followed the others down the staircase to find both Weasley parents as well as Sirius at the bottom.

After quick goodbyes, Harry and Sirius stepped into the fireplace, stepping out into their own living room seconds later.

"Tea before bed or are you too tired?" Sirius asked as he headed towards the kitchen.

"Tea please."

"Alright then go get a quick bath and into some pajamas and then you can join me for tea," Sirius smiled.

* * *

"You can't imagine your grandfather's face when he came into the bedroom and found fireworks going off inside…you just can't even imagine Harry," Sirius laughed loudly.

Harry couldn't help but laugh along with the man. It had been weeks since Harry had heard him laugh like this and it felt like months.

"I can't believe you and dad did that!"

"Neither can I," Sirius shook his head still smiling widely, "For bright children we were extremely thick is what we were."

"Crazy it sounds like," Harry replied.

"You know I've been thinking that perhaps sometime I should show you where your house is or rather was…not much left of it but it's still there as are your parents graves…would you like to see all that?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded instantly, "Can we really go?"

"I think we could go one day…I haven't been since…well since it all happened but you have every right to see it if you like."

"I think I'd like to," Harry nodded softly, "I really would."

Sirius nodded quietly in reply, his thoughts suddenly appearing to be else where.

Harry waited several long moments before he swallowed hard and then spoke. "Sirius?"

"Hmm?"

"We can still go to the Quidditch World Cup right? I know you said not to ask about the letter anymore but it wasn't about that was it?"

"No," Sirius shook his head smiling softly, "It wasn't about that and yes as of this moment we are still going to go. I told you if anything changed with that we would discuss it Pup."

"Okay," Harry agreed, "But what could make it change?"

Sirius sighed softly as he ran a hand through his long hair. "Many things could happen Harry. I don't wish to discuss them with you in detail as of yet but times are changing Pup…things are changing…slowly but they are and although I don't foresee anything happening to effect attending, I can't make any promises."

**TBC...**


	14. Chapter 14

**Author's Note: Enjoy the chapter and feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it. I'm going to try to have the next one up within a week.**

* * *

"Excellent work Harry!" Remus declared as a small silver doe leapt from the end of Harry's wand for the second time that afternoon. "Simply excellent!"

Harry smiled widely at the praise as he lowered his wand. "You really think so?"

"Absolutely!" Remus nodded. The pride he felt for the boy was very evident in his face. "I don't think you realize how advanced the magic you are doing is."

"What year do you learn it?" Harry asked curiously as he walked towards where Remus had taken to perching on the edge of his desk.

"Seventh and that's only if the Professor feels as though the students can handle it," Remus explained, "It is entirely up to the discretion of the Professor so the fact that you, at just a few days shy of thirteen, can perform this magic is really incredible."

Harry smiled widely once more. Unlike with Snape, he absolutely adored his lessons with Remus and often found himself wishing he could have them more often. Remus was, in Harry's opinion, the epitome of what a good teacher should be...kind, patient, and ready and willing to praise his students when they deserved praise.

"There are full grown witches and wizards that can't manage to produce a patronus and here you've done it with very little teaching."

"You're a great teacher, that's why," Harry noted.

"I thank you Harry, Remus smiled kindly, "However you posses something that cannot be taught, a certain knack for magic if you will."

"Snape doesn't think so," Harry replied, "He doesn't even think I try in his lessons."

"Professor Snape," Remus corrected with a small wink, "And I wouldn't be so sure that he thinks that. Snape can be a bit...rough...but he surely can't deny your natural talent and abilities."

Harry shrugged as he leaned back on a wooden table, chewing softly on his bottom lip.

"Now I know you never want to stop once you get going but today I must insist that we end here," Remus smiled, "You just performed some advanced magic and whether you realize it or not it probably took quite a bit of energy for you to do so."

Harry nodded his agreement as an idea popped into his head.

"You should probably head on home as well, it is nearly lunch time and I'm sure Sirius has something prepared."

"Can I ask you something?" Harry asked before he could talk himself out of it.

"Of course."

"And if I do could you not say anything to Sirius?" Harry asked as he continued chewing his bottom lip, his eyes now downcast.

Remus raised an eyebrow, pausing for a moment before answering. "That depends entirely on what it is you plan on asking me and I make absolutely no promises in that area."

Harry sighed softly as he considered this and then quickly decided that he had come this far already so he may as well just ask regardless if his godfather found out about it.

"Is Sirius going to let me come back to Hogwarts?"

Remus looked down at the boy and couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for him. His shoulders were slumped and he was looking down, very obviously avoiding any and all eye contact though Remus could see the tops of his ears blushing a light shade of pink.

"I honestly don't know Harry," Remus answered, "Why on Earth would you ask me as opposed to Sirius? It's his decision is it not?"

"He gets angry when I ask him about it," Harry admitted, "The last time I asked he said he didn't know and he won't know until the time comes but I don't know...I just thought maybe..."

"He hasn't said a word to me about it," Remus answered truthfully, "Though I am sure Sirius will make the best decision for you."

"I know," Harry nodded, finally bringing his head up, his eyes meeting Remus', "I'm just afraid I won't like the answer."

Remus chuckled softly as he reached over and put a hand on Harry's shoulder, "I'm sure you know this Harry but he really does have your best interest at heart and unfortunately his job isn't always to tell you what you like but rather what is right."

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "I know."

"And though I doubt very much it would be an issue, if you don't want me to do so I won't mention your asking me to Sirius," Remus smiled.

"Thanks Remus."

* * *

"So Ron is going to come home with us after the meeting tonight?" Harry asked before eating a bite of his lunch.

Sirius nodded.

"Can't he come over earlier today?"

"I'm afraid not, Molly mentioned something about a great Uncle visiting the family today," Sirius explained.

"Ron's probably bored out of his mind then with some stuffy old Uncle visiting, we could floo over and..."

"Out of the question," Sirius cut his godson off with a chuckle, "And how do you know his Uncle is stuffy? He might be a very interesting."

"Maybe," Harry mused before taking a drink of his pumpkin juice and then after putting the drink now, speaking once more. "So what are we gonna do all day?"

"Actually," Sirius replied, "I meant to tell you last night that Remus dropped off a book for you about Defense."

"He did?" Harry asked happily as he quickly ate the last bite of his lunch, "Where is it?"

Sirius chuckled as he gestured towards the living room, "On the table next to my chair."

Harry flashed his godfather a smile before he took one last swig of his pumpkin juice and then took off towards the living room.

Sirius had been hoping that Remus' book would have such an affect on his godson. Along with the book, Remus had also delivered a list that Dumbledore had acquired of dark objects and Sirius was hoping to spend at least a portion of his day going over this list to see which may be in his parent's house. If he and Harry were going to be forced to move there in the future the first order of business would be to remove every dark item that house contained.

Harry picked up the large book. The words, "Defensive Spells Through The Years" were written in red bold letters across the front.

"Wicked," Harry noted under his breath as he stood next to his godfather's armchair, flipping through the pages.

He stopped for a moment, his eyes skimming over a particularly cool looking spell when his eyes skimmed a little too far to the left and landed back on the table. There, peeking out from under the latest issue of The Daily Prophet, was the letter Snape had written to Sirius.

Harry starred down at it, his fingers itching to reach out and grab it.

"Did you find the book?" Sirius called from the kitchen causing his godson to literally jump.

"Yeah," Harry answered.

He was quiet for a moment, listening to the sound of the water running in the kitchen. Sirius was obviously cleaning up from lunch. Harry stood still for a moment. He was still holding the book but his eyes were locked on the letter. It was turned over and impossible to read unless he actually picked it up.

He knew he shouldn't. Sirius had point blank said he didn't want him to know the contents of it.

_Still_, Harry thought, its right there and Sirius is busy and it could be quickly read and then returned to its spot without his godfather ever even realizing.

Careful to be quiet, so to keep an ear out for his godfather, Harry quickly picked up the letter, his eyes scanning it, reading as quickly as he could.

They were going to move...there was something about a list...a few lines about something called a prophecy...and yes Snape had written that Harry was well behaved in his lesson.

Harry felt his stomach churn as he read the letter once more careful to not miss a single word...they were going to move…and what was a prophecy? What did it have to do with him? His mind was cluttered with a hundred different thoughts and questions.

Quickly he slipped the letter back where it was half under the paper and it was then that he realized his hands were a light blue color.

Confused, he rubbed the palms on his hands down his side, against his jeans. His first thought was that the ink from the parchment had somehow leaked through onto his skin.

Rubbing them weren't making them better though, if anything they were making them worse as they had quickly gone from a light blue color to a much darker blue.

And then Snape's words flashed through his mind, "_If you try to open this you will not be pleased with the consequences_."

Thinking quickly, Harry turned and darted up the stairs to his room, the book Remus' had loaned him tucked under his arm. He tossed the book onto his bed before heading into the bathroom.

With the water running at full blast, Harry quickly picked up the bar of hand soap and tried desperately to wash the coloring from his hands but the water just seemed to make it worse, his hands quickly turning a navy blue color.

A feeling of dread was beginning to swim in his stomach. If he couldn't get his hands back to normal Sirius was going to see them and if he did he was going to know exactly why his hands were blue and how they had gotten that way.

Turning the water off, Harry rubbed his hands into the towel that hung next to the sink but to no avail, his hands were just as blue as ever when he pulled them away.

Muttering a few choice words that he'd rather die before let his godfather hear him say, Harry retreated back to his room.

In one last hope to rid his hands of the awful blue color he opened his school trunk and dug through his books hoping he had something that might offer a counter spell but twenty minutes later he still hadn't found a solution and his hands were, if possible, getting darker.

The dreadful feeling in his stomach grew as he slowly made his way down the stairs. It sounded as if Sirius was still in the kitchen which Harry counted as a blessing…the living room had far too many chairs after all.

He walked into the room to find his godfather concentrating on a piece of parchment. The man hardly looked up at his godson, who was standing in the doorway, his hands griped in each other tightly, behind his back.

"Already done with the book?" Sirius inquired, his eyes never once leaving the paper in front of him.

"Kind of," Harry answered in a low voice. He imagined that this was how a person who was about to be carted off to Azkaban must feel…completely doomed.

"Its gorgeous weather we're having today," Sirius noted, his long hair covered his view of Harry as he continued to lean over the piece of parchment, "You should make good use of it and go fly for a bit."

For a brief moment Harry considered this. He could walk right out the door with his broom and perhaps in a few hours his hands would just go back to normal all on their own. He'd never even have to tell Sirius.

But then…if they didn't...Harry shuddered at the thought. He had absolutely no desire to lie to his godfather and find out what soap tasted like.

"I have to tell you something," Harry said, hoping his voice didn't sound nearly as shaky as it felt.

"Mmhmm," Sirius hummed.

"And you're going to go mental."

It was at these words that Sirius finally lost interest in the paper and looked up at his godson, raising an eyebrow at the boy, "That doesn't sound very promising."

"Just please don't go too mental," Harry pleaded in a desperate voice.

Sirius remained silent, fixing his godson with a stern stare.

Slowly Harry pulled his hands out from behind his back, holding them out in front of him.

"What in Merlin's name," Sirius began speaking and then as if a light bulb went off in his head, it suddenly all made sense to him. "Harry James," he spoke firmly.

"I didn't mean…"

"You most certainly did," Sirius cut him off causing Harry to quickly close his mouth, "Don't for a moment act as if this was an accident. It wasn't was it? You opened that letter purposely did you not?"

Sirius was standing now, towering over Harry.

"I expect an answer," Sirius continued, "Was this an accident or not?"

"No Sir," Harry answered honestly, "But Sirius it's all about me! All of it! And you won't tell me anything and…"

"I believe I tell you plenty as it is. You are just a child Harry it is not your job to fix everything nor is it your place to know everything. I am the adult here and it is my decision to decide what to share with you."

"But it all concerns me!" Harry practically yelled.

"If you're going to yell you can go straight to your room," Sirius spoke, fighting to keep his voice at an even tone.

"I'm not yelling," Harry replied, his voice barely lowering. "You don't let me do anything! I'm not a baby Sirius! I'm thirteen and you didn't tell me that we're going to move or about this prophecy thing and you won't let me go to meetings or…."

"Thirteen is hardly an adult," Sirius retorted, "And what I will or won't allow you to do is not the issue here. I specifically told you that you weren't to read that letter and…"

"And that's not fair!" Harry now fully yelled.

"That's it," Sirius spoke in a low voice, "To your room now."

"I won't yell anymore," Harry replied in a considerably lower voice.

"No," Sirius shook his head as he put a hand on his godson's shoulder and led him through the lower level of the house and towards the stairs, "You've lost your chance. If you want to behave like a child than you can be treated like one and you can spend a bit in your room."

"Sirius no!" Harry argued as he tried to twist out of his godfather's grip.

Harry felt his godfather take one hand off his shoulder and a moment later he felt the sting erupt in his backside. That alone should have been his warning to stop with the tantrum he was basically throwing.

"Upstairs now!" Sirius demanded as they stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"But if you'll just listen to me!" Harry pleaded.

"I'll be up later and then we'll talk," Sirius promised, "But for now you need to go cool off."

"But Sirius…"

"I mean it Harry James you have two minutes to get yourself into your room or I promise you you'll regret it."

Harry held his godfather's stare for a moment before he turned and walked up the stairs.

Once in his room, Harry pushed his bedroom door closed and in a moment of complete childish anger he kicked the post of his bed before collapsing on to it.

Hot, angry tears were pushing at the back on his eyes but he quickly blinked them away. There was no use crying over what he himself had done. Sirius was furious and he would be lucky to make it through the day without being punished further.

Sighing loudly, Harry pushed his face deep into his pillows wishing he could go back in time a few hours before he mucked the entire day up.

**TBC...**


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter not being nearly as long as I had wanted it to be but I really wanted to get it up today as I am leaving in less than an hour for NYC and won't be home until the 13th. Enjoy this chapter and please tell me what you love or hate and hopefully I'll be updating again next weekend :)**

**Mira**

* * *

Nearly forty minutes later Harry was still lying on his bed, his face buried in his pillow. His temper had calmed considerably and though he still didn't think it was fair that Sirius told him so little, in retrospect perhaps yelling at him wasn't the best idea...nor was reading the letter.

Slowly Harry pushed himself into a sitting position and instantly noticed that his hands had returned to normal...adding insult to injury.

He listened carefully, but the house remained quiet, just as it had since he had been sent to his room.

His cheeks flushed slightly as he thought of the way he had acted...the way Sirius had sent him to his room...and the smack he had received on the way.

But he supposed he had deserved it. After all, hadn't Sirius given him a warning or two to lower his voice? Harry couldn't remember exactly, but he was pretty sure he had. The whole horrible row was actually one big blur of yelling to Harry, but he was certain of one thing...if he hadn't read the letter it never would have happened.

Harry desperately tried to rack his brain and remember exactly what he said...or rather yelled...at his godfather but all he could really remember was declaring the unfairness of it all and then being sent to his room to wait for Sirius.

Waiting in his room for Sirius usually meant one thing, and Harry was not ready to accept that particular punishment. Nevertheless, he was not entirely sure that is was undeserved.

Quietly he walked across his bedroom floor, careful to step over the space that creaked. He pulled open his bedroom door and listened carefully for any sounds. Sirius' bedroom door was wide open, a sure sign that the man wasn't in his room.

Making his way down the stairs, Harry silently lectured himself on keeping his temper in check, despite the outcome of finding his godfather, as it was really the only way to save his bum...literally.

On the second to last step Harry spotted his godfather sitting in his armchair, his head resting against the back of it, his arm draped across his face causing the crook of his elbow to cover his eyes.

Careful to remain quiet, Harry walked into the living room and then took a seat on the couch before he cleared his throat softly.

"I could have sworn I asked you to stay in your room," Sirius stated without moving his arm.

"I have to talk to you," Harry said softly, "And I'm...I'm calm now."

"I'm listening," Sirius replied.

Harry sat in silence for a moment, trying desperately to collect his thoughts and find a place to start stating his case. However, everything he thought of made him want to scream in frustration, so instead he took the easier route and said what he knew he would say eventually anyway.

"I'm real sorry Sirius."

Harry heard his godfather sigh softly as he dropped his arm from his face. "Honestly Harry, if that's all you have to say then you can just walk yourself right back up to your room and I'll find someone to come look after you until I get back from the meeting tonight."

"It's not all I have to say," Harry answered quickly, horrified at the idea of what his godfather had just threatened, "I just don't know where to start."

"Perhaps you should start by explaining why in Merlin's name you disobeyed me and read that letter," Sirius suggested with a stern look on his face.

Harry shrugged softly. "I was just curious I guess. I knew it had to be about me."

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, looking if possible sterner than he had a moment earlier but Harry beat him to it.

"I know I'm just a kid and that it's not my job to worry about it but it's all about me Sirius. If you knew something was about you but no one would tell you anything, wouldn't you be curious?"

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. As Harry watched though, his face softened considerably.

"Harry," he started softly, "I..."

"You know you would," Harry cut him off in a calm voice, "Anyone would."

"And if you would have just came to me and spoke to me about it..."

"You'd get mad," Harry spoke, "Anytime I ask, you get cross."

Sirius sighed softly before he spoke once more, "I've really messed this one up haven't I?"

Harry looked up at his godfather with a shocked expression, "No I did. I was a complete prat earlier and..."

"I'm not talking about earlier today, we'll get to that," Sirius promised, "I'm talking about in general these past few weeks. I've been trying so hard to protect you from everything - everything that you shouldn't have to deal with, not only now but in general...and as a result I've really been an arse."

"Not really," Harry shrugged, fighting not to smile at his godfather's slip of words.

"Yes really," Sirius nodded, "You have every reason to be curious about the things going on...I guess my fear is that if I share these things with you, you'll run headlong into trouble trying to solve all the problems."

"But I won't."

"But you have in the past," Sirius replied and Harry noted that the man did not sound angry. He was just stating a fact.

"What if I promise you I won't do that - I won't run straight at any trouble at all," Harry pleaded, careful to keep any hint of a whine from his voice.

He watched as his godfather was silent, his eyes closed tightly for a moment.

"I promise I won't Sirius...I'm not that thick. You'd wallop me for sure if I did."

At these words Sirius opened his eyes and gave his godson a promising look. "You're absolutely right about that."

"So see I wouldn't and..."

"You are thirteen Harry and to tell you all of these things would be extremely irresponsible of me." He paused for a moment as if collecting his thoughts. "However I will tell you some."

"But Sirius I..."

"And you will be happy with that or we can skip this talk completely and move onto your disobeying me this afternoon," Sirius interrupted.

"I wasn't going to complain," Harry lied quickly. "I really wasn't," he added at the look on his godfather's face.

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose sitting in silence for a moment before he cleared his throat. Dropping his hand onto his lap, he started speaking. "The Order has reason to believe that Voldemort is gaining strength as well as followers. We also have reason to believe that they are planning something, however we aren't entirely sure what that is as of yet. Because of this, Remus as well as a wizard by the name of KingsleyShacklebolt will be joining us at the Quidditch World Tournament.

"There will also be other Order members at the Tournament should the need arise to protect you. This is also the reason it is so imperative that you do well in your lessons with Snape. We fear that at some point Voldemort will try and invade your mind and if he is successful, it could be catastrophic."

Harry looked up as his godfather stopped speaking. "But why are we moving? And where? And what about Hogwarts and..."

"We are moving because...although this house is very safe - it is not hidden. My parents house is hidden...even wizards and witches cannot find it unless they know where it is and how to get to it. It is..."

"You said it's not safe though," Harry cut the man off.

"It isn't," Sirius admitted, "However the Order is working on that as well and in a month's time or so it will be safer at least."

"You hate it there," Harry noted softly.

"Hate is a strong word Pup...I don't hate it so much as I hate some of the memories of it. We'll make new memories though - good ones," Sirius promised.

Harry nodded as he took note that his godfather had just called him by his nickname, a sure sign that the man wasn't nearly as cross as he had been when this conversation had started.

"And Hogwarts?" Harry asked in a low voice.

"Will not be losing you as a student," Sirius replied.

"Really?" Harry could hardly contain the excitement in his voice.

"Really," Sirius nodded, "However things are not going to be entirely the same. You're going to continue your private lessons with Snape as well as with Remus."

"I'll do it!" Harry nodded quickly. He would have agreed to anything if it meant being allowed to go back to Hogwarts. "But I can really go back?"

"You can really go back," Sirius nodded.

Harry jumped up from his spot on the couch, making his way across the room and past his godfather towards the direction of the stairs. "I'm gonna go owl Ron and Hermione and..."

"Just a minute," Sirius cut him off as he grabbed hold of the back of his godson's shirt as he passed.

Gently he pulled Harry backwards so that the child was standing in front of him. "I believe we still have something to deal with before you go running off."

Harry's face fell as his body sagged a considerable amount. "Awe Sirius," he nearly whined the words.

Sirius looked at his godson's face and for a moment he saw James starring back at him. Of course, Harry always resembled his parents, specifically his father but in that moment with his body language and the pleading look he wore on his face, Sirius could have sworn he was looking at a twelve year old James about to be scolded.

"Did you or did you not blatantly disobey me?" Sirius asked hoping his voice sounded a lot sterner than he felt.

Harry nodded silently, his head dropped as he suddenly found great interest in his feet.

"And you expect to go unpunished for this?" Sirius asked.

"Well no," Harry admitted softly, "But you did send me to my room already..."

"Where you did not stay," Sirius pointed out.

"And you smacked me," Harry added.

"I hardly touched you," Sirius retorted, "And you know it."

"It hurt!" Harry argued his head snapping up at his godfather's words.

"I've seen you suffer a much greater deal playing Quidditch," Sirius noted. "Actually I've seen you trip over your own two feet and hurt yourself worse."

"That's different," Harry shrugged.

Sirius remained quiet for a moment as he pondered these words. His godson was right, it was quite different. His own father, on several occasions, had nearly broken bones while beating him, and yet, he had never shed a tear. One swat from Mr. Potter though, could have him blinking with all his might to stop the floodgates. He was sure Harry hadn't realized how much he had just said with his words, but they touched Sirius greatly. He really had become a parent to his godson.

And for that reason alone he couldn't just let his godson get away with his direct disobedience.

If there was one thing he had learned over the past year, it was that consistency went a long way. Far longer than he ever imagined possible before Harry came along.

"I know it was wrong," Harry offered after his godfather's long bout of silence.

"And yet you still did it," Sirius mused, "I believe we have been here before...more than once actually."

Harry nodded as he chewed softly on his lower lip. He didn't argue - he couldn't argue - Sirius was right.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I really am Sirius."

"Ah, but are you really sorry that you read the letter Harry or are you just sorry you got caught?" Sirius asked.

Harry was quiet for a moment before he spoke, hoping his answer would help his case. "I guess sorry I got caught...but I didn't really get caught. I came and told you instead of hiding it."

"Which I appreciate - as does your soap free mouth I am sure. You showed maturity by coming to me and telling me that you read the letter Harry, and although I am sure it's hard to believe, by being honest you've really saved yourself from much worse punishment than a sore bum. And I am sure you knew from the moment you touched that letter what your fate would be if you were found out. Now let's get this over with shall we?"

Harry gave his godfather one last pitiful look as his tears began to cloud his vision, before he allowed himself to be guided over Sirius' lap. He was having a hard time believing that the man could be so calm moments before he was literally about to make his bum feel as if it were on fire.

The tears were falling now and Sirius hadn't even touched him yet. It had been quite awhile since he had messed up bad enough to find himself in this particular position and that realization alone was enough to make Harry cry and promise he'd never be so foolish again.

If Sirius noticed that his godson was already a mess of tears, he didn't comment on it and Harry was grateful for that.

Harry gripped a handful of his godfather's pant leg, burying his face in the crook of his arm.

The first swat came without warning, and caused Harry to jerk his body slightly and then they fell with repetition. Harry's tears continued to come, his nose running and his breathing hitched as well.

It wasn't until Sirius' hand fell for the tenth time that Harry gave into himself and cried out, promising his godfather he would behave.

Harry was sure he couldn't take much more and at the same time he was sure that he would allow Sirius to spank him all day if it meant that his godfather would forgive him.

And then just as quickly as it had all started, Harry realized that it had stopped, and his godfather was now rubbing his back softly.

Slowly Harry moved his legs and his godfather immediately helped him to stand up.

He looked at Sirius with the tears still running down his face as he wiped his nose with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry," he sobbed the words out, "I really am."

Sirius nodded as he pulled his godson into a hug, the boy's face getting buried deep in the man's neck. "I know you are Pup. I know. You don't need to apologize anymore."

Harry continued to mumble out apologies, ignoring his godfather's words. Sirius sighed softly, giving up, and simply listening to the boy instead.

When it seemed as though the teenager had finally calmed down, Sirius gently pulled himself away and looked his godson in the eye.

"I sincerely hope that was the last time I'll have to do that," he said in a soft voice.

"It was," Harry nodded quickly.

Sirius returned the nod and remained quiet for a moment before he spoke just as softly, "We have a little over an hour until supper. Why don't you go try and take a quick nap Pup? You had a long day and we may be at the meeting quite late tonight."

For a moment Harry wanted to point out that he was about to turn thirteen and that was far too old to take naps like a toddler, but if he was honest with himself, he had to admit that he was somewhat tired and a nap did sound nice, and so, instead of arguing he nodded, gave his godfather one more quick hug, and then headed towards the stairs.

**TBC...**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter being shorter though a lot will be going on in the next chapter so it should more than make up for this one. Enjoy the chapter and as always feel free to tell me what you love or hate and I'll try and update again next week : )**

**Mira**

* * *

Harry's brain had awoken long before he opened his eyes. He had fallen asleep almost instantly with his bedroom door wide open. As a result his room was now engulfed in the delicious smells of supper.

Harry inhaled deeply, his stomach grumbling slightly as his eyes slowly opened. Clearly his nose and his stomach had helped his brain in waking him up.

It took his a moment to remember why he was just waking up as the sun was setting...a moment to recall the events of the day...a moment before he blushed to the tips of his ears at the realization of it all.

Slowly he pushed himself to a sitting position and realized instantly that his bum no longer hurt or even slightly tingled. In fact, the only thing that hurt at the moment was his pride.

It had been quite awhile since Harry had had to deal with the aftermath of a spanking and as he slowly made his way out of his room and down the stairs, he swore to himself that this would be the last time. He was about to turn thirteen, and although he knew that his godfather didn't agree...Harry considered himself far too old to be put over the man's knee. No, today would be the last time.

Although it never happened, he always half expected his godfather to still be angry with him long after his punishment ended. After all, if Sirius had been cross enough to wallop him then wasn't it possible he could still be cross?

Harry pondered this as he stood in the doorway to the kitchen watching his godfather stand in front of the stove, flipping what appeared to be hot ham sandwiches - one of Harry's favorites - in a frying pan.

Without bothering to turn around and confirm his suspicions, Sirius cleared his throat softly. "Can you pour us each some pumpkin juice please?"

Harry didn't respond but immediately retrieved two glasses from the cabinet next to the sink and set them on the table before getting the pumpkin juice out. He noted that his godfather's tone didn't sound cross or even slightly irritated.

Moments later the two were seated at the table. Harry had been right; his godfather did in fact make one of his favorite meals.

They ate in silence for the first few moments and Harry couldn't help but feel as though the silence was uncomfortable...something he rarely felt around Sirius.

Perhaps it had finally happened - perhaps he had finally messed up badly enough for Sirius to remain angry with him long after he had misbehaved. Of course, Sirius had said he didn't have to apologize anymore after he had been punished but maybe he hadn't meant that, maybe he was still cross. Maybe Harry was going to be grounded as well...maybe he was going to be made to stay home tonight...maybe he was going to be sent back to his room after supper. His mind flooded with a million different awful scenarios.

Harry softly cleared his throat before he spoke into his sandwich. "Are you still cross with me?"

Sirius quickly shook his head, "No. no not at all Pup. I thought you'd be angry with me actually."

Harry made a curious face as he looked up at his godfather obviously he had heard the man wrong. "Me? Angry with you?"

Sirius nodded before taking a drink of his pumpkin juice.

"Why would I be angry with you? You didn't do anything...I was a complete git and..."

"Ah but that's just it Pup, I didn't do anything...I didn't explain myself," Sirius said softly.

Harry made the same curious face he had made moments earlier as he stared at his godfather. "Huh?"

"The particular punishment you received today is usually reserved for when you risk your life and perhaps I shouldn't have resorted to it today or at the very least I should have explained why I did."

"Because you were angry," Harry replied, "I made you angry and so you..."

"No," Sirius shook his head, "You never make me so angry that I want to punish you. You never have and you never will...you never could Pup. I was cross with you for disobeying me but I didn't punish you because I was angry...do you understand that?"

Harry thought about his godfather's words for a moment before he nodded. "Yes...I understand it."

"And as I said I should have explained. Normally I wouldn't have resorted to spanking you for disobeying me in the way you did but when I thought of the other options I figured that one was the best for today. Of course I could have grounded you but then Ron is coming to spend the night tonight and I didn't want to take that away and I know tomorrow you and Ron will want to fly and so I didn't want to ground your broom either. And then I thought of allowing Ron to come and grounding you after he leaves but we'll have your birthday and the Quidditch World Cup and I certainly wasn't going to take any of those things away and so today I felt that a spanking was the best route to take...a punishment yes but over quickly and out of the way so that the misdeed wasn't dwelled on."

Harry let these words digest before he nodded slightly, acknowledging that he understood was his godfather had said.

"And so I hope you understand why you were punished as you were and please know that I never, ever punish you because you make me that angry Pup...never."

"No I know and I'm glad you did today...I wouldn't have wanted to miss anything you said," Harry admitted. "And we can still go to the meeting tonight?"

Sirius nodded before swallowing the last of his dinner. "We'll be leaving in about half an hour."

Harry inspected his godfather's face and found it to be very calm and so he spoke once more. "Hey Sirius?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you think maybe I could sit in the meeting?"

Sirius smiled gently before he shook his head, "Not a chance."

"Because I am too young?" Harry asked, relieved that his godfather had smiled at his question.

"Yes...and Molly Weasley would skin me alive if I let you and quite frankly Pup she scares me a bit when she is angry," Sirius replied with a chuckle.

* * *

"You're really going to be moving into this house?" Ron asked. It was evident from the tone of his voice that he was having a hard time believing what he had just been told.

Harry nodded silently.

Of course the moment he had walked into the bedroom above the meeting he had told Ron everything that had happened...well almost everything...he didn't exactly share with his best mate that he had been over his godfather's knee not even four hours prior but then he wasn't sure he had to either. It was obvious by Ron's facial expressions when Harry told him about his row with Sirius that Ron assumed Harry's fate correctly and so no words needed to be spoken. That was the nice thing about Ron...he never asked anyone to state the obvious and Harry was often thankful for it.

Ron made a face before he spoke once more. "Bit dodgy isn't it?"

Harry shrugged before nodding in agreement. "Sirius said the Order is working on it...he doesn't think it'll be that bad living here."

"Not as warm and cozy as your place is now but it is pretty wicked isn't it?" Ron noted. "I mean we've only seen a few rooms and there's probably tons of cool stuff in this place."

"I'm just really glad you can come back to Hogwarts," Ginny noted.

The young witch had been sitting on the bed, reading a book. She was the only other person in the room as the twins were spending the night with a friend. Harry had been thankful when he walked into the bedroom to see only the two youngest Weasley's occupying it. Of course he really liked Fred and George but he wasn't completely ready to share everything he had learned over the past few hours with the twins.

"You're supposed to be reading not listening to us," Ron scowled at his sister.

"I am reading," Ginny responded in a calm voice, "Unlike you I am capable of doing more than one thing at a time."

"Don't call me stupid," Ron replied in an annoyed voice. He paused for a moment before frowning at Harry. "We shouldn't even be talking in front of her anyway, she'll probably run and tell mum the first chance…"

"When have I ever been a tattletale?" Ginny asked in a voice that sounded more hurt than angry. "I'm Ginny not Percy."

Harry gave Ginny a small quick smile as Ron made an annoyed sound. He knew Ginny would never tell on them, after all he had kept her secret earlier in the year.

"Still you are too young and…"

"So why do you think my hands turned blue?" Harry asked cutting Ron off and hoping to change the subject and cause the siblings to stop arguing.

"Because Snape is a greasy old git is why," Ron replied, "A right arse is what he is."

"It's an old charm," Ginny spoke, "Mum uses it sometimes when she doesn't want us to read or get into something. When you touch the object it turns your hands blue."

"And what it just wears off after sometime?" Harry asked.

"It only goes away if you've confessed or been punished or of course if someone states the counter spell for it," Ginny explained.

"And what about the Prophecy thing?" Ron asked ignoring his sister's voice all together, "Sirius didn't say anything?"

Harry shook his head. "No and I didn't ask...he was already kind of cross because of the row we got in...figured I shouldn't push my luck."

"But you're going to ask him later right? I mean come on Harry this could be major."

"It could be nothing...it might not even be about Harry and..."

Ron made a face as he shook his head slightly, "You are mental if you think it's not about Harry. Don't you pay attention? It's always about Harry."

"Not always," Ginny replied, her face now quite serious as she closed her book, "And if you run off into trouble again trying to figure this out mum will..."

"We aren't going to," Harry quickly cut her off before she could state exactly what Mrs. Weasley would do. "I promised Sirius," he added as his best mate threw him a curious look.

"Yeah but Harry this could be huge…"

"I promised," Harry cut Ron off shaking his head forcefully.

"What did you promise?"

All three children's heads whipped towards the doorway to find Remus standing there.

"Oh - ah I promised Hermione we'd do more than just play Quidditch on my birthday," Harry replied thinking quickly, "She hates to fly you know."

"No I didn't know," Remus smiled warmly, "I never cared too much for flying myself though so I can relate to that."

"Is mum ready to go?" Ginny asked.

"She is at that," Remus smiled once more, "As is Sirius boys."

* * *

"So when did Sirius say you'd be moving?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.

It was late. They had been home from the meeting for quite awhile. Sirius had allowed them to sit downstairs and join him and Remus for tea even though it was well past the normal time that Harry was in bed. Afterwards, he sent them upstairs.

They had already been lying in Harry's room with the lights off for over an hour and Harry was sure Remus still hadn't left as he could still occasionally hear quiet mumbles coming from below him.

"He didn't really say exactly, but I think before we go back to Hogwarts, or right after I leave," Harry replied through a yawn.

Ron was quiet for several long moments and Harry almost thought his best mate had fallen asleep and then he heard the red head sigh softly.

"You really don't care about finding out about this prophecy thing?"

Even in the pitch darkness of the room, Harry could hear the dumbfounded look on Ron's face.

"I do care but we can't just go off on some crazy adventure trying to figure this out…we just can't." Harry replied in a whisper.

"No of course not, not a crazy adventure but I mean if we hear something else or see something or…" Ron's voice trailed off.

Sometimes Harry thought that Ron had been born thinking that nothing was impossible, and that this was both the best and worst thing about him.

"It's just Sirius trusted me enough to tell me stuff and I don't want to mess that up…I promised him I wouldn't."

Harry rolled onto his back and then laid in silence for several long moments before he realized that Ron had fallen asleep.

* * *

"And how in the world am I supposed to explain this to him?" Sirius asked, fighting hard to keep the anger in his voice to a hushed volume. If he spoke any louder his godson would likely hear him and then he wouldn't need to explain anything.

Remus was silent as he sipped his glass of firewhisky.

"Honestly Moony I am trying extremely hard to keep him from being made to deal with such things, but that isn't going to be an easy task when it's a four page article in The Daily Prophet."

"That odious woman," Remus muttered.

Sirius raised an eyebrow as he swallowed a mouthful of firewhisky, willing himself to calm down. To say that Remus' words shocked him would be an understatement. It was rare for Remus to speak so badly about anyone…especially a woman.

"Dumbledore did try to stop it you know," Remus continued when Sirius did not speak, "Of course he didn't get very far but he did attempt it."

"Arthur mentioned that as well," Sirius noted before another thought crept into his mind. "Had I known this was going to happen I never would have allowed Ron to be here tonight, tomorrow morning will be hard enough on Harry and…"

"And perhaps having Ron here will make it easier," Remus interrupted, "I know that if I were about to be blasted all over the papers I'd want you there to help me deal with it."

"Perhaps," Sirius admitted, "I didn't think of it in that way."

Remus was silent for several moments, drinking quietly before he spoke once more. "Is this making you reconsider allowing him to return to Hogwarts?"

Sirius pondered this for a moment before he shook his head softly. "No, not with you there and Dumbledore….I know he'll be safe there….I know he'll be protected."

"Unfortunately Sirius you can't keep him safe for ever," Remus spoke in a soft voice, "You know what the prophecy said. You know that eventually…."

"Eventually," Sirius cut him off before his fears could be verbalized, "Means eventually it does not mean now." He paused as he drank and then clearing his throat he spoke once more. "He is just a child Remus….an exceptional child, perhaps, but a child all the same and I am not ready to allow him to give that up…and neither is he Moony…not yet."

**TBC...**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: First of all I want to apologize for taking such a long break from writing. My gramma passed away in the beginning of August and since then I've just been kind of lost and I guess I just haven't had it in me to write. However, I will be making an effort to write a lot more now…I feel as though writing this chapter really got me wanting to write more : ) I also wanted to say, for those of you that don't know, that I do take suggestions/challenges for short stories on my tumblr page. The link is on my profile and at the top of my page there is a little thing that says, ask me anything. You don't have to have an account to ask so if you have any suggestions or challenges or just something you'd like to see, feel free.**

**Enjoy this chapter and feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it…I missed you guys.**

**Mira**

* * *

"She thinks I lied?" Harry asked for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. "Does she think Cedric just dropped dead for no reason? How does she think it happened?"

Sirius shook his head softly as he watched his godson pace around the kitchen, as he had been for the past twenty minutes.

Remus was sitting at the round, wooden kitchen table his eyes also on Harry while Ron sat beside him, finishing his second bowl of cereal.

Sirius had hardly, if at all, slept before Harry and Ron were awake. Throughout the night Sirius had toyed with several ideas as to how to deal with the article that he knew would be in The Daily Prophet the following morning before he finally decided that the best way to deal with the situation would be to do so head on. The moment the paper had been delivered and Sirius had seen his godson's face looking up at him from the front page he could feel his blood boiling. He quickly read over the article, and then promptly showed it to Harry, who unlike his godfather didn't look angry at all but instead looked hurt and betrayed, which in turn made Sirius' even angrier.

"She is so bloody stupid," Harry huffed as he leaned back against the kitchen counter. Clearly he was moving past the hurt stage and into the one his godfather had lived in for the past few hours.

Normally this kind of talk coming from Harry's mouth would send Sirius into full blown lecturing mode but as his eyes fell onto the paper once more and the headline flashing from, "The Boy Who Lived" to "The Boy Who Lied", Sirius couldn't even bring himself to correct the boy, despite Remus' eyebrow raise of disapproval.

"Mum could never stand her," Ron spoke up as he swallowed the remainder of his breakfast down, "Says she's always been the type to start trouble and put her nose where it doesn't belong."

Sirius couldn't help but nod in agreement. He had known Rita Skeeter for a long time and Molly Weasley's assessment of the woman was dead on. Once more, he took a deep breath willing himself to calm down. He wanted nothing more than to head out, find Rita, and give her a piece of his mind.

"She's disgusting is what she is," Harry replied making a face, "A right wrench and..."

"Hey," Sirius said softly but sternly cutting his godson off with a firm shake of the head.

Harry's green eyes drifted up to his godfather's stern grey ones and he quickly shut his mouth but couldn't help but reopen it seconds later. "Well she is Sirius," he said softly hoping his godfather would stop looking at him as though he were about to send him to his room. All too aware that Remus, not to mention Ron, were in the room watching this whole scene play out.

Seconds later Sirius' face softened as he nodded, "I know Pup."

"I just don't understand this," Harry admitted looking distraught, "How did Cedric die then?"

Sirius nodded in understanding. After all, he didn't really understand it either. Despite the fact that the article about his godson was nearly four pages long, it didn't give much information. Of course it painted the picture of the TriWizard Tournament and once again told the story of Harry's tragic past, as if there were people left who weren't aware of it. However, although the article blatantly said that Harry was being untruthful, it failed to mention how exactly Cedric had died. Despite the fact that Sirius felt enraged at the article, he couldn't help but assume that people would see this error and regard the article as rubbish.

"I don't think that even Ms. Skeeter herself really believes you lied Harry, you'll notice she doesn't explain what she thinks killed Cedric."

Clearly, Remus was on the same page as his old mate.

"Exactly," Sirius nodded, "It's not as if anyone will honestly see any truth in this article. How could they?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond but Ron beat him to it.

"They won't mate," the red head shook his head quickly, "No one with half a brain believes anything that coot says."

Harry gave a half of a shrug in response.

"You'll see Pup," Sirius said with a soft smile, "In a day or so no one will even remember this article."

Once more Harry opened his mouth to talk, and once more someone beat him to it.

"And in the meantime I think you and Ron are going to spend an hour or so with Remus while I go and speak with Dumbledore," Sirius said.

Remus nodded, having already been well aware of this plan. "We'll have a fine time," he smiled.

"Why do you have to go talk to Dumbledore?" Harry asked.

Sirius noted his godson's curious face as well as Ron's matching one and carefully choose his words before he spoke. "About the article," he answered honestly and swiftly.

"Sirius you don't have to," Harry replied immediately, "I'm fine and..."

"Harry no," Sirius shook his head, "This isn't something I can just ignore. It needs to be addressed and..."

"Sirius no!" Harry nearly yelled in frustration causing Ron's eyes to widen.

All three sets of eyes in the room fell on Harry, the set belonging to his godfather included a raised eyebrow.

"Perhaps Ron and I should…"

"No, it's fine," Sirius interrupted taking a deep breath before locking eyes with his godson, "Harry why don't we step into the living room and talk?"

"But Sirius…"

"Or perhaps we should go up to your room?"

Harry shook his head before pushing his body away from the counter and walking towards the living room. He avoided looking at both Remus and Ron out of sheer embarrassment over this whole situation. Sometimes he truly wished he could kick his own arse for the way he acted.

Once in the living room, Harry flopped down onto the couch, the frustration still very evident on his face.

Sirius took a moment to observe his godson, careful to set aside his anger at the article itself and focus solely on Harry at the moment and to deal with his godson gently.

"What was that about?" Sirius asked, taking a seat beside his godson, "Why don't you want me to go talk to Dumbledore?"

Harry shrugged, his eyes downcast.

"No," Sirius shook his head sternly, "You know me well enough to know that a shrug isn't going to cut it. Now why don't you want me to go talk to him?"

Harry chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before speaking and when he did speak Sirius had to strain to hear his soft voice, such a change from moments ago in the kitchen when he was practically yelling.

"I don't want to make a big deal out of this. I don't want to be a bother."

"A bother? Really Harry I hardly think…"

"No Sirius, really. The article is already in the paper what does it matter if you go talk to him or anyone? It's not going to change anything and…"

"It'll change loads if it will prevent this from ever happening again and you are never a bother Harry…never."

Harry was quiet for a moment as he let his godfather's words wash over him and then softly he spoke once more.

"I don't want it to ruin anything."

"What in Merlin's name could it ruin?" Sirius asked.

"Loads," Harry replied quickly, "The Qudditch World Cup, going back to Hogwarts, it could ruin everything Sirius."

Sirius quickly shook his head as he smiled softly, "I promise you Pup I am not going to let this ruin anything but this also isn't something I can just let go. I am going to go speak with Dumbledore and everything will be fine you'll see."

Harry nodded softly in defeat. He wanted to believe his godfather's words but he couldn't help but feel that Sirius getting angry at everyone about the article was only going to make things worse rather than better.

* * *

An hour later Remus and Ron were engaged in a game of exploding snap while Harry sat at the kitchen table besides them reading the article once more.

Remus had tried several times to encourage Harry to abandon the paper and join in the game but Harry had declined. Ron had even suggested that rather than playing the game with the cards they use them to build a house. Ron had explained that Fred and George had done so loads of times and that it was brilliant to see how far along you could get before cards started randomly blowing up but Harry had rejected that idea as well.

"She really thinks that I would just make something like this up?" Harry said more to himself than anyone else. He had been commenting like this on the article for over thirty minutes now and Remus was beginning to lose his patience with the situation.

"Harry please just ignore it. Sirius is taking care of it as we speak," Remus reminded him.

It was at these words that for the first time since his godfather had left Harry looked up from the paper. "Do you think it'll help?"

Ron looked up from his cards at Remus as well clearly waiting for his answer.

Suddenly Remus felt as if he were no longer sitting at a kitchen table on a rainy morning playing cards but back in a classroom setting the way the boys we're looking at him.

"Well," Remus cleared his throat before speaking, "I think that the article is already printed and therefore that damage is done…"

"That's what I said and…"

"However," Remus abruptly cut the boy off, "I do think that speaking to someone very well may prevent anything like this from happening in the future and in that case I applaud your godfather for voicing his concern over this."

Harry's shoulders slumped slightly as Remus echoed his agreement with Sirius over this matter.

"I guess," he replied softly.

"And now I really do think it would be wise of you to put the paper down and try and forget about it…at least as best you can."

"Yeah," Ron nodded in agreement, "Just forget about it Harry."

Reluctantly Harry complied with Remus' wishes and folded the paper up, pushing it to the side of the table.

"Thank you," Remus smiled kindly, glad that he didn't have to make an issue of the situation.

"Can we do something else though," Harry asked, "I'm sick of exploding snap."

"Such as?" Remus wondered aloud.

"Can we go practice Quidditch?"

"It's raining out."

"Hardly," Harry replied, "And besides I play Quidditch in the rain all the time at Hogwarts."

"And it's not cold out," Ron added, "Just raining."

"And your mother would have my head for allowing you to fly around in this weather," Remus spoke to Ron.

"She's let me fly in the rain before," Ron quickly replied though Harry wasn't sure how true his statement was.

"Please Remus?" Harry asked.

Remus opened his mouth to speak but Ron cut him off.

"Yeah please, just for a bit."

Sighing loudly Remus replied, "Oh all right you little mongrels but only for a bit…the moment I say you're done I want you out of the sky, understood?"

The boys quickly nodded in unison.

"And I want you to wear rain slickers."

"Alright," Harry agreed as he jumped up and retreated to the closet next to the back door which held both brooms as well as rain gear.

"And I want you to stay in the allotted area that Sirius allows you to fly in, got it Harry?"

"Got it," Harry nodded with a smile as he handed Ron a rain slicker.

"And if you hear or see any thunder or lighting," Remus continued.

"We'll come right inside," Harry cut him off.

"You can hear lighting?" Ron asked as he accepted the broom Harry was handing him.

"I'm being very serious right now Harry James if you…"

"No Remus, I know," Harry responded in a serious voice, "We'll be good and we'll come in the moment you say we have to."

Remus nodded once as his stern expression broke into his usual soft smile. "Alright you boys go have fun."

* * *

Nearly forty minutes later Remus was sitting in the living room relaxing with a cup of tea and his own copy of Defensive Magical Theory when Sirius came through the floo.

Remus immediately noted the angered look on the man's face and put his book aside.

"Didn't go well?" Remus guessed as Sirius walked into the kitchen.

"Where are the boys?" Sirius hollered from the other room in response.

"Out back flying."

"It's raining you know," Sirius smiled as he returned with a butterbeer in his hand, "**You** let them fly in the rain?"

"Yes well they can be very persuasive and your godson made me a million promises about safety and following my rules."

"That sounds like my Harry," Sirius chuckled.

"So how did it go with Dumbledore?" Remus tried once more.

"It didn't go at all," Sirius admitted sitting on the edge of the couch, "I spoke with Dumbledore and though he agrees that it is absolutely ridiculous for this woman to write an article such as the one she has, he isn't sure what exactly we can do about it."

"You are his guardian though Sirius, surely you can…"

"I can fight The Daily Prophet over it, yes," Sirius nodded, "But Dumbledore is afraid that if I do so they'll just attack Harry again in order to get back at me and I hardly want that."

"So then you are just going to ignore this?" Remus asked in a shocked voice. He could hardly believe for a moment that the man he knew would be capable of such a thing.

"Well I'm tempted to find Rita Skeeter myself and give her a piece of my mind."

"I'm not sure that's wise Padfoot," Remus spoke honestly.

"Perhaps not but did you see Harry's face this morning when he saw that article? I can't allow that to happen ever again Remus. I can't allow him to be publicly attacked by this woman."

"No…but at the same time you can't change who Harry is. You can't change his past Sirius. He is a very well known child and that isn't going to go away."

"I don't care how well known he is," Sirius shook his head firmly, "He is my godson first and foremost and I will hardly allow articles to be printed in the future that paint him in a bad light."

"I'm not implying that you should," Remus agreed, "I'm just saying that Harry…"

"Harry depends on me and I cannot…I will not let him down."

**TBC...**


	18. Chapter 18

**Author's Note: My class was cancelled tonight and I was totally in the mood to write so you can thank that for the next chapter being up so quickly. Plus I am going to be way too busy this weekend to think about writing at all so I wanted to get something up before that. Thank you all so much for all the continued support and as always feel free to tell me what you love or hate.**

* * *

It was late, well after supper, when Remus headed home and Sirius sent Ron and Harry up to bed. Harry had asked once for permission for he and Ron to stay up for another hour but Sirius had denied it reminding his godson that the following day would be a busy one.

However, while Sirius could send them up to bed, he couldn't make them sleep.

"So what are we going to do to her?" Ron asked.

Despite the darkness in the room Harry could make out the shadow of Ron on the bed next to his. He was lying on his stomach, his elbows propping the upper portion of his body up, his arms wrapped around his pillow.

"To who?" Harry asked, honestly perplexed by the question.

"Skeeter," Ron replied in a voice that made Harry feel like an idiot for not realizing who he had been talking about.

Truthfully, the rest of Harry's day had been so good that he had hardly even remembered how horrible the morning had been. They hadn't even really done anything amazing but just spending the day with Sirius, Ron, and Remus had made Harry feel loads better. The article and how horrible he had felt about it seemed light years away.

"What do you mean what are we going to do?"

"We have to get her back," Ron explained, "We can't just let her get away with this!"

Harry thought abut this for a moment before he responded. Of course he wanted to get Rita Skeeter back.

"That would be brilliant but I don't see how we can."

"Hermione," Ron replied simply.

"Hermione?" Harry asked. "What does she have to do with it?"

"She'll know how to get back at her," Ron explained, "Or she'll come up with a way too. She always comes up with something doesn't she?"

"Yeah she does," Harry agreed, "But she also doesn't usually want to do stuff like this."

"Stuff like what?" Ron asked.

"Like purposely get into trouble by doing something to Rita Skeeter."

"We aren't going to get into trouble...not even if we get caught, which we won't."

Harry raised an eyebrow at this statement, "We aren't?"

"No," Ron shook his head, "Bloody hell Harry did you see Sirius' face this morning...he isn't going to get mad at you for anything we do to her, trust me."

Harry let these words wash over him. He thought back on his godfather's face and stature of the morning before he nodded in agreement despite the fact that he wasn't sure if Ron could even see him.

"I think you're right," he finally spoke up several moments later.

"I know I am," the red head replied. "Sirius was bloody pissed mate and all the pranks he and your dad used to pull, he isn't going to give a damn if we pull one on her, we could probably even ask him for ideas."

"I don't think we should go that far," Harry shook his head, "No…this has to be just us."

Ron shrugged as he stifled a yawn, "Okay…yeah…whatever…and Hermione, she always comes up with the best stuff." He paused for a moment before he spoke again, "Don't tell her I said that though."

Harry smiled to himself as he shook his head, "I won't."

"So we'll talk to her tomorrow then? See what we can come up with?"

Harry nodded as he yawned loudly. "Yeah…yeah okay."

* * *

Hermione nearly knocked Harry over the following day when she flung herself into his arms the moment she saw him.

"I saw the paper and I wanted to come right away," she explained in a rushed voice, "But we were in France you know and my parents just thought it would be better to wait until today when you were expecting me, I mean after all it's only a day and..." she paused for a moment as she pulled her body away from his and looked at his face, "Are you alright?"

Harry nodded as he smiled sheepishly, "I'm okay." He couldn't help but swallow a chuckle at Sirius and Ron's faces. While Sirius looked absolutely amused by Hermione's quick explanation, Ron looked bored with the whole situation. After all, he was used to their best friend and what Ron called her 'mental girl ways' when she wasn't around.

"You're sure?" she asked, finally releasing him from the hug and taking a step back.

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "I'm sure."

"Good," Hermione smiled widely, "Oh and happy birthday Harry! I guess I should have said that first but I was just so worried about you. I mean how dare that woman write something about you like this…and it isn't even the

first time she's done so and…."

"I'm fine Hermione…really," Harry cut her off.

"We're better than fine, we're gonna go play some Quidditch," Ron smiled.

At his words Hermione's face fell considerably before she forced a smile. "I suppose I could play for a bit. What time is everyone else arriving?"

"Remus should be here any moment," Sirius spoke up from his spot in his armchair, "And Ron's family should be here within the hour…I believe Dumbledore will be here sometime soon as well."

"Can we go play some Quidditch before they all get here?" Harry asked his godfather.

"I don't see why not," Sirius smiled, "I'll send the other Weasleys out when they get here."

* * *

"So you want to play some sort of prank on her?" Hermione asked.

The three were hovering in the air just in case Sirius looked outside, but not really playing Quidditch at all. The boys had just explained their idea to Hermione and Harry could almost guess by the look on her face that she wasn't going to go for it. He was half glad she wasn't. While he wasn't sure that Sirius would be angry about it, a little voice in the back of his head was telling him that his godfather wouldn't exactly be thrilled with the idea either. It was part of the reason he had been so quick the night before to tell Ron that asking Sirius for ideas probably wasn't the best idea. Still, getting back at Rita would be nice.

"Yeah," Ron answered her, "Don't you think she deserves it?"

"Well yes," Hermione admitted after a moment. She was gripping her broomstick so tightly that her knuckles were turning white and Harry couldn't help but smile when he noticed it. It was no secret that Hermione wasn't the biggest fan of flying and it meant a lot to him that she had been willing to do so because it was his birthday.

"So then we have to come up with an idea," Ron replied.

"I'm just not sure it's the best idea," Hermione said, "I mean honestly what could we possibly do that would affect her and if the adults found out…"

"The adults are just as mad as we are," Ron interrupted her, "Sirius was bloody furious yesterday."

"Don't swear," Hermione said softly.

Harry had been sitting quietly on his broom watching his two best friends discuss the situation and now he could literally see the wheels in Hermione's brain turning.

"But he was," Ron said, "Wasn't he Harry?"

Harry nodded quietly keeping his eyes on Hermione.

"I have to admit she would deserve it," Hermione said, "I mean this is the second time she has done this and we certainly don't want it to happen a third time."

"Isn't there some spell we could use on her…something to teach her a lesson?" Ron asked.

"Of course there are, there are several. We'd just have to figure out which spell is best and of course we'd have to get close enough to her to actually do anything and I have no idea how we would do that."

"Her office is in Diagon Alley," Ron pointed out.

Hermione stared at him for a moment, shocked that he had any bit of information to offer that might help.

"Well I suppose if we were really careful about it," she finally spoke, "when we go to get school supplies we could sneak away for a quick moment and pay her a visit."

"And tell her what?" Harry finally spoke up. "Why would she agree to see us? What are we going to do tell her I want to offer up an interview?"

"Yes!" Hermione shrieked loudly, "Harry that's brilliant!"

"I was about to say the same thing," Ron mumbled as Harry spoke.

"And how are we going to get away from the adults? I can't tell Sirius that I'm just going to go offer up an interview to Rita Skeeter, he'd go mental."

"That part will be easy," Hermione said in a calm voice, "We can just say we want to pop in the Quidditch store…or well you two can and…and I'll say I want to run into the stationary store since they are across from each other and we'll go to The Daily Prophet instead."

Harry and Ron listened to her as she ran through the entire plan aloud, complete with excuses they could use if anyone wanted to accompany them to what exactly they would say when they got to The Daily Prophet. If there was one thing that always amazed Harry about Hermione it was how quickly the girl who claimed to hate breaking rules could formulate a fool proof plan to do just that.

"And what spell are we going to use?" Harry asked.

"Just leave it to me," Hermione said, "I'll find something perfect."

* * *

Harry opened his eyes the following morning to see his godfather leaning over him, the lights in his room on at full blast.

"Sirius?" he asked in a sleepy voice, rubbing at his left eye with the back of his hand.

"Honestly Pup I know it's early, but I thought for sure you'd remember what today is," Sirius smiled as Ron sat up in his own bed.

"What is it like three in the morning?" Ron asked through a thick yawn.

"Four thirty actually," Sirius smiled, "And we have to be out of here in about thirty minutes if we're going to make it to the portkey in time to meet the others."

At the word portkey Harry instantly felt wide awake and nearly jumped out of bed.

"Ah we remember now I see," Sirius smiled, "I'm going to go wake Hermione though I believe I already heard movement in her room., You boys start getting ready, breakfast is in ten minutes."

In all the excitement of his birthday celebration the day before Harry had nearly forgotten that Hermione had spent the night so that she would be there in the morning to leave for the Quidditch World Cup.

Harry jumped out of bed and grabbed a pair of jeans before he turned to find Ron already dressed. Hurrying he caught up with his best mate before the two ran out of his room and down the stairs.

"You did pack yesterday right?" Sirius asked as he placed a large plate of eggs onto the table.

Harry nodded as he took his normal seat next to Hermione who was already dressed and half way through her breakfast.

Ten minutes later Harry and Ron had devoured their breakfast and we're literally bouncing around ready to leave.

"Ron and Hermione could you two run upstairs and collect everything the three of you need please?" Sirius asked as he whipped out his wand and used it to clear the table and clean the kitchen, something he rarely used magic for.

"Of course," Hermione answered immediately, pulling Ron along with her.

Once the two were out of earshot Sirius turned to his godson.

"I know I don't have to say this and I apologize for even doing so but I just wanted to remind you that with things the way they are these days I really need you to listen while we're away."

"I know," Harry agreed, nodding seriously.

"And not just to me but to Mr. Weasley as well as Kingsley Shacklebolt… remember I told you he'll be coming as well. He's going to meet us at the portkey."

Harry nodded, he remembered.

"I expect you to listen to the three of us at all times, any disobedience and I promise you we'll come directly home regardless of what is going on and I promise you that you won't like the consequences when we get here, understood?" Sirius asked sternly.

Harry nodded quickly. "I understand and I promise that won't happen."

Sirius' face softened as he reached out and ruffled Harry's hair gently. "I know it won't Pup…forgive me for even mentioning it."

Harry smiled softly up at his godfather. "It's okay."

And it was. Given his track record, Harry could hardly blame his godfather for his stern reminder.

"I think we have everything," Hermione's voice rang through the kitchen before she appeared two seconds later, with Ron at her side carrying three bags.

"Well then we better get going," Sirius smiled brightly as he picked up his own satchel from the kitchen counter.

The three teenagers followed Sirius out of the house and down the road.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked as he walked quickly beside his godfather to keep up.

"Not too far, just up by the lake."

"This is gonna be wicked," Ron smiled, "I've never traveled by portkey before."

Sirius chuckled softly as they walked through the large field, the lake beginning to appear in the distance.

"I'm not sure it's so wicked," he replied, "It rather makes me nauseous…certainly not my preferred form of travel but it gets the job done quickly."

Harry had to agree with his godfather. Having traveled by portkey without realizing it at the end of the third task he remembered the feeling of nearly sicking up when he felt the tug behind his belly button and he wasn't looking forward to reliving it. He had hoped that the feeling he had felt the first time was more from everything else that had been going on at the moment but hearing his godfather admit to the same feeling confirmed his suspicion that portkeys were really just evil all together.

"We can't go any other way?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well we can't go by floo as there wouldn't be a fireplace on the other end and you three aren't old enough to apparate. I suppose I could apparate and take you three along with me but apparition isn't that simple and the last thing I need is for one of you to get splinched."

"Splinched?" Harry asked as he noticed a tall, dark man standing a few yards away.

"It's when you apparate but a part of you doesn't go along," Hermione explained proving to Harry once again that there wasn't anything about magic she didn't know. "Such as a body part."

Harry made a face at this as he looked to Sirius for confirmation.

"Exactly," Sirius nodded before he smiled at the man now standing before them.

"This is an old friend, Kingsley Shacklebolt," he smiled as he embraced the man in a quick hug.

"And this," he continued pulling away from Kingsley and facing the trio, "is my godson Harry and his friends Ron and Hermione."

"It's a pleasure to meet all three of you," Kingsley smiled warmly, "I've only heard good things about you three."

Harry smiled at the man immediately taking a liking to his friendly stature.

"And this is our portkey," Sirius spoke pointing at an old boot lying on the ground.

"That?" Ron asked in a shocked voice.

"Yes, that," Sirius smiled, "and we really must get going if we're going to meet your family on time so if you'd all just hold on to it."

Hermione smiled brightly as she reached a hand out and took hold of the toe of the boot.

Harry could clearly read the look on her face to be one of excitement at getting to try a new magical way of traveling and he couldn't help but return her smile as he too touched the boot.

Seconds later the feeling of sicking up invaded his stomach once more as the world around him began to spin and swirl together before he found himself lying on his back in the middle of a field.

"You three really must practice your arriving skills," Mr. Weasley's cheerful voice rang out in the morning air.

**TBC...**


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Enjoy and feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it.**

* * *

The sights and sounds of the field before them were almost too much for Harry to take in all at once.

He took a deep breath, a feeling of excitement building in him, as he stood staring around him, trying to take it all in.

Suddenly he felt a hand on the back of his neck as his godfather cupped him gently and then leaned down next to him.

"Happy birthday Harry," he said softly enough for only his godson to hear.

Harry turned his head, smiling widely. "Thanks Sirius."

"Come on Harry," Ron yelled as he rushed past the two, "Let's go see what's going on and…"

"We have to set up camp first," Mr. Weasley said, cutting off his youngest son, "You boys can't be running off without an inkling of an idea of where to come back to."

"We'll find you," Ron tried to promise. "Right Harry?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak but Sirius abruptly beat him to it.

"Absolutely not. Your father is right; Ron; let's just find a place to set up the tent first."

Ron looked disappointed at the decision but nodded anyway before he and Harry followed the rest of the group down into the area where all the tents were.

It took all of fifteen minutes for the adults to find a suitable spot and for Ron to be back to his request.

"So can we go Dad?"

"What do you think Sirius?" Arthur asked as he pulled a tent that appeared to Harry to be way too small for even himself and Sirius let alone everyone who was with them.

Sirius surveyed the area as Harry held his breath waiting for his response. He hardly wanted to be the reason that his best mate couldn't go off exploring.

Harry watched as Sirius looked to Kingsley who nodded quietly.

"I suppose it would be alright," Sirius finally spoke much to Harry's relief, "But be back in one hour."

Harry nodded in agreement quickly, excited that he would be allowed to go off on his own.

"I'm coming as well," Hermione spoke up.

"Can I come?" Ginny asked as she jumped up from where she had been sitting.

"No," Ron answered just as Harry was about to nod.

"Yes she can Ron," Arthur spoke in a cheerful voice, "I believe your mother spoke to you about being nicer towards her."

Ginny gave her brother a pointed look as Ron blushed at his father's words.

"I want the four of you to stay together," Sirius said as he handed his godson a handful of coins. "And please behave yourselves."

The four of them nodded in unison though it did little for Sirius' nerves. He knew his godson would never purposely go looking for trouble, especially not after the talk they had had less than an hour prior. But still, if there was ever a child that trouble just seemed to find…it was Harry Potter.

* * *

"Well now how are we supposed to discuss anything?" Ron asked in a low voice.

He and Harry were walking towards a sea of colorful stands with Hermione and Ginny just a step behind them.

Harry shrugged, "Ginny won't rat us out."

"You say that because she isn't your sister," Ron replied in an annoyed voice, "She's ratted me out loads of times."

Harry shrugged once more. He didn't care what Ron had to say about the matter because he knew that he and Ginny had an understanding and that she would never, not in a million years, tell on him for anything.

"We shouldn't talk about it here anyway," Harry pointed out, "Anyone could hear us."

"I guess you're right," Ron agreed. "Besides Hermione probably hasn't even thought of anything yet."

"Neither of you are speaking as quiet as you think you are," Hermione said suddenly, as she jogged a step until she was standing next to Harry, "And I'll have you know Ron that I did already think of something but Harry is right…we can't talk about it here."

Ron stopped walking, causing Ginny to nearly walk into him.

"What are you doing?" Ginny asked in an annoyed tone. "Don't just stop walking like that, I nearly fell."

"We could walk to those woods over there," Ron spoke pointing at woods that were clear on the other side of the area.

"No," Harry instantly shook his head, "We'll just talk later."

"Talk about what?" Ginny asked.

The trio exchanged a quick look before Hermione spoke. "I'll tell you later, we can't talk about it here."

Ginny surveyed their faces before she gave her brother a stern look. "I don't know what you're planning to do but mum is probably going to kill you."

"No she isn't!" Ron replied, his face blushing. "Shut up Gin, you don't even know what you're talking about."

"Hey what are those?" Harry asked hoping to stop the argument. He pointed to a large stand selling what resembled a pair of binoculars that Dudley used to have. These binoculars however were covered with all sorts of weird knobs and dials.

"Omnioculars," Ron said happily as he walked towards the stand, "Wicked!"

"What are they?" Harry asked again.

"They look like binoculars," Hermione noted.

"Like what?" Ginny asked.

"Binoculars," Hermione explained, "They're a muggle thing. You look through them to see something closer that is far away."

"They're kinda like that except with these you can replay things, or slow them down, or speed them up, you can even zoom in," Ginny replied.

"Brilliant," Harry said in awe as he picked a pair up and inspected them.

"Running a special we are," an old witch said from behind the booth, "Only ten Galleons each, you won't find a better deal here."

Harry felt the money from Sirius in his pocket and knew he'd have plenty enough to buy each of them a pair. He was well aware that if Ron and Ginny had money they most likely didn't have enough and he didn't mind buying one for Hermione as well. After all, he had plenty of money in his vault at Gringotts and what was the point of having money if you couldn't spend some on your friends?

"I'll take four pairs," Harry said firmly to the witch.

"No…don't bother," Ron said quickly, his face blushing. He was always a bit touchy about his family's lack of money.

"I want to," Harry replied as he handed the witch his money, "You're my best friends."

The witch handed Harry the omnioculars and Harry quickly distributed three pairs of them.

"Thanks Harry," both Hermione and Ginny said in unison.

"Look they have programs as well," Hermione spoke as she picked four of them up, "I'll get us some of these. They'll be good to have won't they?"

Harry nodded smiling. "And then we should get back, it's been nearly an hour."

"It hasn't either," Ron replied as he played with his omnioculars, "Maybe half of that."

"Closer to three quarters," Ginny said, "Harry's right, we should start back. Breakfast is probably ready by now."

Harry gave Ginny a small smile before the four of them turned and started walking back towards where the tent was. He knew it hadn't been a full hour but Sirius had been brilliant to allow him to go off with just his friends and the last thing Harry wanted was to return late.

* * *

Ginny had been right. When they returned to the tent they found Sirius and Kingsley making breakfast over an open fire.

Harry had been pleasantly surprised when he walked into the tent to find that although on the outside it would look normal to any muggle, on the inside it looked more like a miniature house.

After he and Ron claimed their room for the evening, they retreated back to the main area where they sat with everyone and ate breakfast.

The rest of the day was spent walking around the grounds and looking at the different stands, all while running into friends from school at every turn.

Dinner was cooked as breakfast was, and once the sun began to set, purple lanterns began to glow, lighting the pathways.

Eventually, the sound of a deep, booming gong sounded from the distance, capturing all of their attention.

"It's time," Kingsley said in his deep voice.

"Alright children, let's go," Arthur smiled broadly; "Don't forget any souvenirs you want to bring.

Mr. Weasley led the way down the lantern lit trail as Harry and Ron walked beside Sirius.

As they approached the gigantic stadium, Harry's eyes grew huge.

"I've heard it seats a hundred thousand," Sirius spoke.

"How do they keep muggles from seeing it?" Ron asked.

"Kingsley was telling me that every time a muggle gets anywhere near here they suddenly remember an urgent appointment that they simply must dash away too."

Harry giggled at the idea.

"Not the kindest of spells I suppose, but harmless at least," Sirius smiled as they entered the stadium,

"Prime seats," the witch at the ticket box smiled as she checked their tickets, "Straight up and as high as you can go."

The stairs in the stadium were carpeted in a rich purple color and they slowly navigated their way through the crowd, gradually ascending levels until they reached the top of the stadium. There Harry saw a box of seats positioned directly between the two goal posts.

Looking around, Harry could see thousands of witches and wizards filling into their seats, and, excitedly, he turned to offer his godfather a brilliant grin. Beside him Hermione gasped, and following her gaze, Harry's eyes widened as he saw advertisements being written in the sky, almost as if there was an invisible hand up there.

Ron pulled out his omnioculars and started testing them, staring down into the crowd on the other side of the stadium.

"Wicked!" He said, as he played with the knobs on the side. "I can make that old bloke down there pick his nose again and again."

Fred laughed aloud as he reached for his brother's omnioculars to see for himself.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Ginny were skimming through their programs, having already settled into their seats.

"A display from the team mascots will precede the match," Hermione read aloud.

"Splendid," Mr. Weasley smiled broadly, "That's always worth watching. The teams will have brought mascots from their native lands to put on a bit of a show."

Any response was cut off by a loud warning voice that echoed around the system. The noise around the stadium gradually quieted in response, until finally, there was silence.

"Ladies and gentleman…welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"

The stadium erupted into loud cheers and applause with Harry and his friends joining in. The match lasted for nearly two hours, but to Harry, it seemed to be only minutes. It was his very first professional match, and he was engrossed from the start to the end. Intermittedly, Ron would shout something excitedly in his ear, and more than once, Harry took note of the seekers' moves, determined to experiment with them at the first opportunity.

By the time the snitch was caught, Harry's throat was hoarse from all the cheering, and his hands were nearly numb from clapping, but it was the happiest he had been for a long time.

"Did you see that beater? He was amazing!" Ron said excitedly as the group made their way back towards the tent.

"And the seeker," Harry added, "I'm going to see if I can do that one move he did where he acted as though he was going to fall and then…"

"How do you know it was an act?" Hermione asked. "He may have really been about to fall."

Ron shook his head as he made a face. "He's a professional Hermione, he wants you to think he was going to fall but there's no way he was."

"I'd like to be a professional Quidditch player one day," Ginny spoke up through a yawn.

"You're too little," Ron replied.

"I'm still growing genius."

""Alright children," Mr. Weasley spoke as they walked into the tent, "Everyone off to bed."

Harry looked up at his godfather who was stifling a yawn and nodding in his direction.

"You've had a long day," Sirius spoke, "And we'll be leaving after breakfast tomorrow."

After saying their goodnights, Harry and Ron retreated to the room they were sharing. Harry climbed into the top bunk as he heard Ron sigh loudly.

"What?"

"I'm not a bit tired," Ron said. "Who could be after that game?"

Harry shrugged despite that fact that he knew Ron couldn't see him. He wasn't tired either; his brain was much more preoccupied with Quidditch. He almost wished they had gone home immediately. He might have been able to wheedle Sirius into letting him trying out some of those moves at once.

"Did you fall asleep?" Ron asked fifteen minutes later when Harry still hadn't replied.

"No, I'm still awake."

"Want to go sit out front of the tent?"

"What for?" Harry asked as he sat up in his bunk.

"We could see if Hermione's awake."

Harry thought this over for a moment. He was wide awake and he was bored lying in his bed and it was only right out front.

"Okay," he nodded swinging his legs over the side of the bunk and hopping down.

Careful to be quiet as to not wake anyone, they crept through the tent stopping outside of the door to Hermione and Ginny's room.

"Alright go wake her," Ron said.

"Me? I'm not going in there!"

"I can't go in Hermione's room," Ron nearly shrieked.

"It's your sister's room too…at least one of them is related to you," Harry replied.

Ron stalled for a moment, thinking this over, before he nodded.

"Alright I'll do it but if they're doing girl things…"

"What the hell are girl things?"

"Things girls bloody do!" Ron hissed.

"Just go," Harry replied, "I'll meet you two out front."

Harry pushed open the flap of the tent and the coolness of the night literally hit him in the face. After a moment he adjusted to it, and he stepped out, letting the flap close behind him. In the distance he could hear people celebrating. They weren't the only ones who couldn't fall asleep it seemed.

Next to the tent were several chairs that they had been using earlier and he pulled three of them out and sat down on one.

Seconds later the flap of the tent opened once more and Ron and Hermione joined him.

"Were you asleep?"

Hermione shook her head, "No wide awake actually."

"We have to figure out the plan," Ron said sitting in the chair next to Hermione's, "After tomorrow we won't see each other again till next week when we go shopping."

"I'm just still not sure we should discuss it here," Hermione replied looking around her, "I mean anyone could hear us."

"Then we won't use any names," Ron suggested, "Just tell us the plan."

Hermione was quiet for a moment before she nodded softly before explaining what she had managed to come up with so far. "Okay. I was doing a bit of reading last night and…"

"There's a surprise," Ron smirked at Harry.

Hermione stopped speaking a made a face at Ron before she continued. "There is a potion we could brew…we need the pus of a bubotuber though."

"What in the bloody hell?" Ron asked.

"It's a plant…do you ever pay attention in Herbology?"

"Actually I do and…"

"Where can we get that?" Harry cut Ron off, not wanting the pair to start bickering.

"Well," Hermione said in an uncomfortable voice, "I was actually thinking that if you had a lesson with Snape or Remus this week you could visit Snape's storage closet and…"

"No," Harry quickly shook his head, "I can't steal from Snape." The conversation he and Sirius had had after he had stolen the gillyweed stuck in his mind as did his godfather's threat. "Not after last time." He added.

Hermione nodded in understanding. "I suppose we could check the Apothecary, they may have it."

"But what is the actual potion?" Ron asked. "And how long does it take to make."

"Only a moment, we'll just need a small ally-way to mix it all and it's perfect…"

Hermione never managed to finish her words, for a loud frantic scream sounded in the distance, quickly followed by others.

The three of them jumped up, Ron knocking his chair over in the act.

The light of the few fires still burning showed people running away into the woods, fleeing something that was moving across the field towards them.

A group of wizards, tightly packed and moving together with wands pointed upwards were marching in the distance. At first Harry thought that they didn't have faces but then he immediately recognized them as the same hooded figures from the graveyard, the same hooded figures that occasionally haunted his dreams…death eaters.

Harry was just about to turn and run inside for Sirius when the tent flapped open and the others ran out.

"What are you doing out here?" Sirius asked in an unbelievably stern voice even as he looked towards the approaching group.

"I…"

"Never mind," his godfather shook his head, "Come on we're going into the woods…and stay together."

Without waiting for their agreement, Sirius started walking, and, seeing that he was already in trouble with the man, Harry hurriedly fell in step behind him.

"Where's dad?" Ron asked no one in particular.

"He's gone off to help the Ministry," George answered, speaking loudly to be heard over the screams in the distance.

"Said we're to listen to Sirius and Kingsley," Fred added.

"And he was really worried when he couldn't find you," Ginny added as she rushed to keep up with Fred, whose hand she was holding.

At these words Harry felt guilt hit his stomach hard. They really hadn't meant to make anyone worry.

"Sirius I…"

"Not now Harry," Sirius replied in a cross voice.

Harry sucked in his breath, willing himself to ignore the screams that were now drowning out behind them, trying hard to force his mind to push out the visions of the death eaters he had just seen.

"Do you think the portkey's are still an option?" Sirius spoke.

"We can only hope," Kingsley relied without turning to face Sirius.

"Why wouldn't they be? Do you think the death eaters removed them?" Harry was full of questions.

"I don't know," Sirius answered and for the first time Harry heard fear in the man's voice.

An exceptionally loud scream rang through the woods causing Ginny to practically whimper in fear.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks looking behind him to where the Weasley children were. He couldn't imagine how they must have felt with their father back there somewhere.

"You've got to keep moving Harry," Sirius said, his voice still as stern as ever.

"We've got to get the Weasley children home," Kingsley spoke as they approached a clearing in the woods. In the center of the clearing were several tin cups which Harry guessed were the portkeys.

"Hermione you'll be going with them," Kingsley spoke once more, "Molly will get you to your parents from there."

Hermione nodded in reply as she stepped forward and placed a hand on the tin.

"Will you and Harry be going as well Sirius?"

Harry didn't have to look at his godfather to know that the man had shaken his head.

Kingsley nodded. "I'm going to accompany them home then and I'll see you later today."

"Thank you," Sirius replied in a voice much more like his normal one, "For everything Kingsley."

Kingsley smiled and nodded once before he too placed a hand on the tin can and the group disappeared.

"Alright let's go," Sirius said as he walked over and picked a can up.

"Sirius I…"

"Let's just get home alright…we'll talk there."

Harry looked up at his godfather, searching for some sort of confirmation as to whether the man was still angry but found very little. Sighing he reached out and touched the can, preparing himself for the awful feeling to come.

**TBC...**


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:**

**So I found myself with a ton of extra time yesterday and decided to write this chapter. Thank you so much to everyone who has given me an idea for a short story, I'm going to attempt to write a few of them in the next week or so.**

**Enjoy this chapter and feel free to tell me what you love or hate and I'll try and get the next one up soon.**

**Mira**

* * *

Harry stepped through the floo, his godfather following a step behind. He wasn't sure how much trouble he was in exactly, but he wasn't going to wait quietly to find out either. He had seen the face his godfather wore when he had stepped out of the tent to find him outside. He also remembered the words Sirius had spoken just before they had left for the tournament and panic immediately set in.

"I swear Sirius we were just sitting outside talking and I didn't think it would be a big deal because we weren't going to go anywhere and obviously we didn't know anything bad was going to happen but I really didn't mean to do anything wrong or make you angry and…"

"I'm not angry," Sirius cut his godson off as he crossed the room and literally collapsed into his arm chair.

"I mean even Hermione wasn't worried and she doesn't usually want to break the rules or if she does she complains about the trouble we'll get into before hand and…"

"Whoa Pup calm down," Sirius offered a small smile, "I'm not angry with you."

"You aren't? But you were…back in the forest you were, I know you were," Harry spoke as he sat back, perching on the arm of the couch.

"I suppose I came across as angry because you scared me but I know you weren't trying to."

"Because I was outside when all that happened?" Harry asked.

"Because…and I'm sure you won't understand this until you are grown and have children of your own…but you have no idea how horrible a feeling it is to look for your kid in their bed where they are supposed to be and find them not there," Sirius explained in a gentle voice.

Harry thought this over for a moment before he spoke in a soft voice. "I'm sorry…I really am."

"I know you are and I know you didn't mean anything by it," Sirius paused for a moment as he stifled a yawn, "And I know you must be tired after the day you've had so why don't you head up to bed and I'll be up in a moment."

"Can't you tell me what just happened?" Harry asked in a hopeful voice.

"I wish I could Pup but I'm honestly not sure myself. Clearly death eaters were attacking and thankfully I got you as well as the others out of there but I won't know much else until the meeting later today," Sirius answered honestly.

"And then you'll tell me?"

"And then I'll share with you what I feel you should know…yes. Now really Harry, it's after midnight."

Harry nodded as he pulled himself to a standing position and headed towards the staircase.

He paused for a moment at the bottom of the stairs and turned back to his godfather.

Sirius' head was leaned back now, his eyes closed slightly.

"Hey Sirius?"

"Hmmm?" came the tired reply.

"Do you think Mr. Weasley will be okay?"

"Mr. Weasley is very skilled at what he does and I am sure we'll see him tomorrow at the meeting…there's no need to worry about it."

Harry nodded, though he knew his godfather couldn't see him.

* * *

An hour later, Harry was still lying awake in his bed. Someone had come through the floo shortly after he had retreated to his bedroom but he couldn't hear well enough to make out the voice.

He had half toyed with the idea of creeping to the top of the stairs to hear better but decided against it. After all, he had already escaped being in trouble with Sirius once; he certainly didn't want to push his luck.

He rolled onto his back and stared up at his ceiling. Earlier that summer, Sirius had put a spell on it to make it look like the night sky. Usually looking up at it would instantly cause Harry to drift off to sleep but tonight it wasn't working at all.

His mind was too full, working on overtime, re-living the night's events. He wasn't dumb, he knew why the death eaters were there and who knew that whoever was downstairs was there because of what had happened.

Once more his mind began to formulate a plan to sneak downstairs and listen to the conversation.

Sighing loudly, Harry sat up, ready to give into this plan when he heard the floo roar to life.

Sitting in his bed quietly he listened to see if someone else had arrived or if the original visitor had left.

And then he heard his godfather walking up the stairs.

Quickly, Harry put his head back on his pillow, forcing his eyes shut as so to appear to be sleeping.

He heard Sirius push his bedroom door open and then he heard his godfather sigh.

"Do we need something to help us sleep tonight?"

"How did you know I was awake?" Harry asked, opening his eyes.

"I have my ways," Sirius mused, "Having trouble sleeping Pup?"

Harry gave a half of a shrug. "I guess."

Sirius nodded as he crossed the room and sat on the edge of his godson's bed. "Do you want to talk about tonight?"

"You mean about who was here?" Harry asked as he propped his upper half up on his elbows.

"No," Sirius shook his head with a chuckle, "about what happened at the World Cup."

"They were there because of me weren't they? The death eaters I mean."

Sirius strained to see his godson's face in the dark room though he didn't need to. He could hear it in Harry's voice, the boy sounded miserable.

"They were there because they wanted to cause trouble," Sirius replied, "I'm not convinced it was entirely about you. And no one blames you Harry…I promise you that. Voldemort did things like this before…long before he met you."

Harry shrugged quietly.

"I'm just sorry it spoiled your fun. We were supposed to be celebrating your birthday and…"

"I had a great time," Harry cut off his godfather, "They didn't spoil anything."

Sirius gave his godson a small smile before he spoke once more. "And now you really do need to try and sleep Pup. I'm not taking along a cranky teenager with me tomorrow."

"You really aren't going to tell me who was just here?" Harry asked in a shocked voice.

"It was Remus you little mongrel," Sirius chuckled as he gently pushed Harry's shoulder causing him to fall back on his pillow, "Now to bed with you."

Harry laughed softly as he spoke through a yawn, "Night, love you."

"I love you too Pup."

* * *

"The dark mark?" Harry asked.

Four red heads nodded in unison.

"So then Voldemort was there or just death eaters?" Harry asked causing Ginny to flinch at the name.

The moment he had arrived at the meeting he had been sent upstairs to the normal bedroom he and the Weasley children occupied. The Weasleys, having already arrived, pounced on him the second he walked through the door and instantly began to tell him everything they had overheard their parents say in regards to the previous day.

"No one knows," Fred answered, "no one actually saw Voldemort and the death eaters that were there disapparated before anyone could catch them."

"So then what was the point?" Harry wondered aloud.

"The point?" said George with a hollow laugh. "Harry that's their idea of fun. They don't need a point, they just enjoy scaring people. Dad says half the muggle killings back when he was in power were done for fun."

"Dad thinks those death eaters were at the World Cup as well," Ron explained, "Had a bit too much to drink and decided to celebrate."

"And Rita Skeeter wrote a dreadful article about it all saying that it was much worse than it was," Ginny spoke, "Did you see it in The Daily Prophet today?"

Harry shook his head half wondering why Sirius hadn't mentioned it and half wondering if Hermione had told Ginny about their plan.

Ron gave Harry a pointed look, clearly implying that this was yet another reason that pulling a prank on her was a good idea.

* * *

"Tea and then bed," Sirius spoke as he placed Harry's cup in front of him, "You've hardly slept the past two nights."

"I'm not that tired," Harry replied though he yawned despite himself.

"You are exhausted, I can see it in your eyes," Sirius said as he took his seat, "I should send you straight to bed now and forget the tea."

Harry made a face at this. His godfather was well aware that their nightly tea time was Harry's favorite time of the day.

"You wouldn't do that."

"You're right I wouldn't but you have a quarter of an hour with that tea and then it's off to bed regardless of whether you are finished or not."

Harry gave an obedient nod with a smile before taking his first sip of tea. He couldn't help but think how nice it was to have someone to send him to bed. Someone who cared how much sleep he got. Sometimes he forgot he had gone without that for so long and he hoped Sirius knew how much he appreciated it.

Harry drank in silence for five of his allowed fifteen minutes before he cleared he spoke. "So are you going to tell me anything about the meeting?"

Sirius shook his head in silence.

"Sirius," Harry nearly whined in frustration.

"You know Pup, Molly Weasley is fully aware that her children eavesdropped on the conversation she and Arthur had today about last nights events," Sirius replied in an amused tone, "and if you think for one moment that I don't know that they filled you in on everything the moment you walked into that bedroom tonight…"

"Well not the moment," Harry interjected.

Sirius raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Alright yeah," Harry nodded in defeat, "the moment I walked in."

"As if I don't know how my godson works," Sirius chuckled, "And if the Weasleys filled you in there is nothing else to tell."

"Nothing?" Harry asked.

It was clear from the tone of his voice that he was having a hard time believing this.

"Sorry Pup but no…nothing. Unfortunately the Ministry as well as the Order has very little idea what last night was all about and what Arthur told Molly is the full story."

"And Rita Skeeter's article?" Harry asked.

"Is complete rubbish," Sirius shook his head, "I hardly read it myself however it is in the trash bin if you'd like to read it."

Harry shook his head before taking a sip of his tea.

"I'm sorry, I wish I had all the answers and knew exactly what last night was but unfortunately I don't."

"Do you think you'll ever know?" Harry asked.

"I hope so but I don't know," Sirius answered honestly. He glanced up at the clock before he spoke once more. "However I do know that your time is up."

"Five more minutes?" Harry asked.

Sirius shook his head, "Bed. You'll be back at Hogwarts soon and then I'm sure you'll be up all hours of the night so get some sleep while you can."

"I don't stay up all hours of the night at Hogwarts," Harry replied making no attempt to move from his seat.

"Well that's a coincidence," Sirius noted.

"What is?" his godson asked curiously.

"You don't here either...now to bed please."

Harry gave his godfather a smile as he nodded in defeat. "Alright I'll go to bed."

"I'm so glad you decided to go peacefully," Sirius smirked.

* * *

"Harry come on we've got to go," Sirius hollered up the stairs.

A week had passed since the World Cup and Sirius was waiting patiently by the fireplace for his godson.

Harry came running down the stairs, his list from Hogwarts in his hand.

"Sorry," Harry said as he approached his godfather, "I couldn't find my list, somehow it ended up in my wardrobe."

Sirius smiled and opened his mouth to reply but was cut off as an owl tapped on the window.

"That's a Hogwarts owl," Harry announced, immediately recognizing the grey owl as one that he often saw flying above the school grounds.

Sirius raised an eyebrow in confusion as he opened the window and took the letter from the owl, giving it a gentle pat on the head in return.

Harry watched as his godfather quietly read the letter, his curiosity eating away at him. The moment Sirius' eyes drifted off the last sentence Harry nearly burst at the seams.

"Well? What is it?"

"Dumbledore wishes to meet with me to go over some things about Hogwarts."

"What things?" Harry asked.

"Well I don't know; I haven't met with him yet."

Sirius' eyes skimmed the letter once more before he cleared his throat. "I hate to do this Pup but would you be terribly upset if I went and met with him today?"

"But I thought we were going to go to Diagon Ally?" Harry asked in a fearful voice. He had to go. Ron and Hermione were expecting him and today was the day they were supposed to follow through on their plan…he couldn't just stand them up.

"Well how about I speak to Molly and Arthur? I'm sure they wouldn't mind taking you along with them…will I be a dreadful person if I don't go along?"

Harry looked up at his godfather. The man did look quite guilty for bailing on the days plans but Harry couldn't believe how lucky he was. His biggest fear in the whole plan for the day was lying to Sirius in order to get away to prank Skeeter and now he wouldn't have to lie to the man at all. Harry was half tempted to drop to his knees and thank the soap Gods for saving his mouth once more when he realized that he should probably act a bit upset as to not appear suspicious.

"I guess that'll be okay," Harry shrugged casually.

"I really am sorry about this Pup," Sirius replied as he reached out and gently ruffled his godson's hair, "And if there were another way…"

"I know," Harry cut him off, "And it's really okay."

"I'll floo you over to the Weasley's and if it's alright with Molly and Arthur I'll come back to get you in a few hours okay?"

Harry nodded.

That was more than okay…that was perfect.

**TBC...**


	21. Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Thank you all so very much for all the kind reviews and emails, seriously ya'll have no idea how happy it makes me to read them. Enjoy this chapter and feel free to tell me what you love or hate and I'll try to have the next one up in a week.**

**Mira**

* * *

"You're sure you don't mind?" Sirius asked once more.

He was quickly scratching out a response to Dumbledore as Harry waited patiently to be delivered to the Weasley's.

Harry shook his head fiercely, "I really don't."

Sirius' head popped up from the parchment before him and he quickly gave his godson a small smile before he lowered his head once more, the quill in his hand moving quickly.

"There we go," Sirius spoke after another moment of writing.

He quickly rolled up the letter and secured it to the owl's leg, giving the bird a quick pat before it took off once more.

"We can go now?" Harry asked as he stood up quickly abandoning the comfortable position he had taken to on the couch.

"We can go in just a moment…where is your jacket?"

'Upstairs, it's not really cold out."

"Go run and get it just in case," Sirius requested.

"But it's not cold." Harry noted.

Sirius sighed softly as he flashed his godson a smile. "It may get chilly later so can you please just humor me and go get your jacket."

Harry shrugged in defeat as he rushed up the stairs towards his room.

"Thank you," he heard Sirius call after him but he ignored him. In his room, his hand hesitated over his jacket as he looked toward the top shelf.

There, neatly folded, sat his cloak.

* * *

"Did you get lost?" Sirius asked as Harry reappeared at the bottom of the stairs. He paused for a moment as he raised an eyebrow at his godson who was now wearing his jacket. Not only was he wearing it, but it was zipped up to the top of his chest. "I didn't say you had to wear it now you know. I just meant that you should take it along in case you needed it."

"I know," Harry replied, "But I didn't really feel like carrying it all day and it is a little chilly out I guess."

Sirius' eyebrow went up for the second time in less than a minute as he glanced out the window at the sunny day. He was about to point out to his godson that it was perhaps the nicest day they had had all week but he thought better of it. It had, after all, been his idea for Harry to take a jacket, he was hardly going to question the boy for wearing it.

"Alright then," Sirius finally spoke as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small satchel and handed it over to his godson. "There is plenty in here for everything you'll need for school and a little extra for lunch as well as a small treat."

Harry smiled widely at these words.

"And I know I do not need to say this but you'll behave for Arthur and Molly, correct?"

Harry nodded quickly, biting down on his lower lip as he did so. He had spent the better part of the morning, mentally convincing himself that he wasn't doing anything wrong. Ron's words about how the adults wouldn't care about what they did to Skeeter ran through his head as he looked up at his godfather. He wasn't sure that Sirius wouldn't at least be a bit cross if he knew what was going on.

"Ready then?" Sirius asked as he took a handful of floo power from the container on the mantel.

"Ready," Harry smiled.

* * *

"We'll go to Flourish & Blotts first," Mrs. Weasley announced as she ushered the group of children down the street. "Try and stay together now."

At the last moment, Mr. Weasly had received an owl calling him into work and he had reluctantly announced that he didn't have a choice but to go. While waiting for his mum to find her purse, Ron had informed Harry and Hermione that Percy felt himself to be way too mature to go shopping with a bunch of children and as a result he was staying home while Mrs. Weasley picked up his school supplies.

The trio walked a little slower than the rest of the group, hoping to fall just a few steps behind.

"Don't lollygag," Mrs. Weasley called over her shoulder.

"We aren't mum," Ron replied as his mother turned back around to speak with Ginny who was pestering her for attention.

"Ginny has been acting so mental today," Ron commented as he watched his sister who was nearly talking his mother's ear off.

"That's because she knows," Hermione replied," I told her and she…"

"You told her?" Ron cut her off in a disgusted voice, "Why didn't you just tell my mum while you were at it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's outburst before she spoke once more. "She isn't going to tell on us and if you'd stop and open your eyes for a moment you'd realize that she is trying to help us."

Harry nodded in agreement with Hermione's words. He had to agree, now that Hermione had pointed it out, it did seem as though Ginny was doing exactly that.

"Help us how?" Ron asked in a suspicious voice.

"She's clearly trying to distract your mother," Hermione replied.

Ron's eyes went back to his sister who was still talking a mile a minute to Mrs. Weasley who was fully engrossed in whatever her daughter was saying.

"I don't know," he finally replied.

"Well I do," Harry spoke up, "Ginny wouldn't tell on us…she just wouldn't."

Ron shrugged apparently giving up on the argument and then spoke once more. "What is with your jacket anyway? Aren't you hot?"

"You've got your cloak under it," Hermione asked, "don't you?"

"How'd you know?" Harry asked as Ron's eyes grew huge.

"Harry that's brilliant!" The red head said loudly enough to cause Fred to turn his head and look back at them for a moment.

"When you came through the floo with Sirius a bit must have been falling out of the bottom of your jacket because a small part of the top of your leg was invisible."

The panic in Harry rose at Hermione's words. "Do you think Sirius…"

"Obviously not," Hermione cut him off, "it's not as if Sirius would have ignored that…I doubt anyone else did."

"So is that the new plan now?" Ron asked. "Are we going to use…"

"Not here," Hermione cut him off as they approached the front of Flourish & Blotts, "We'll try and get away for a bit when we're done here."

"You three have your lists?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she held the door open for the trio.

Three heads silently nodded.

"Alright then, stick to your list and stick together."

"Mum do you think maybe after this we could go to Quality Quidditch Supplies?"

"I don't know dear, I have to get Ginny some robes." Mrs. Weasley looked at Harry and Hermione. "She's just shooting up like a weed you know."

"Well could we just go and then we'll meet you somewhere?" Ron asked in a hopeful voice.

"Oh I don't know…Sirius trusted me to watch Harry as well as Hermione's parents trusted me to keep an eye on her."

"Sirius wouldn't mind," Harry spoke.

It wasn't exactly a lie. After all, Sirius wouldn't mind…as long as he never knew.

"And my parents certainly wouldn't," Hermione added.

"We'll see children," Mrs. Weasley answered as she shooed them through the door, "Now in you go and find your books…try not to be forever about it."

* * *

"Mum, Gambol & Japes is only just up the road," Fred spoke.

"And we're nearly of age," George added.

Mrs. Weasley raised an eyebrow at her twin sons as she spoke. "You are nothing of the sort. However, I suppose the two of you may go but I want you to meet us in front of Ollivander's in no more than thirty minutes. If I have to come find you two I promise you…"

"You won't," George cut her off already rushing down the busy street.

"We promise," Fred added.

"Alright you four, let's go over to the robe shop and…"

"But mum you should we could go to the Quidditch shop."

"I said no such thing Ronald Weasley," she spoke sternly.

Hermione elbowed Ron in the side and gave him a pointed look.

"I mean," Ron tried again, "could we please go to the Quidditch shop while you take Gin for her robes…we'll be real good."

Harry instantly noticed how easily the words that were a deliberate lie came from Ron's mouth and wondered why he couldn't do the same thing with Sirius.

Mrs. Weasley sighed as she looked the trio over.

"You have thirty minutes and you had better behave."

The trio smiled in unison.

"I mean it Ronald, if you so much as put a toe out of line…."

"Mum," Ron practically whined, the shade of his face quickly changing to match his hair.

"Alright," Mrs. Weasley replied as she noticeably relaxed, "Off you go, don't waste your thirty minutes here with me."

The three of them turned and hurried down the busy street.

"Alright what's the plan?" Ron spoke the moment they were away from his mother.

"Shhh," Hermione replied. "We need to go to the Apothecary first."

She quickly led the way to the large store, causing the bells on the door to chime as she pushed it open.

"What are we even looking for again?" Ron asked.

"A bubotuber," Hermione replied as she glanced at a rather large claw that was hanging from the ceiling.

"It stinks in here," Harry muttered, more to himself than to his friends.

The stench in the store was one of rotten cabbage and eggs and Harry longed for the fresh air they had just left outside.

Ron glanced at a container of feathers on a shelf behind him.

"Perhaps we should just go ask if they have a bubotuber," Hermione suggested as she walked towards the counter.

"Good idea," Harry nodded.

The three of them made their way up to the counter, Ron nearly knocking over a container of herbs along the way, to find a tall man standing by the register.

"Yes?" He asked the moment he spotted them. "What can I do for you three?"

"Uh we were hoping to find a bubotuber," Hermione spoke.

The man raised an eyebrow, "For school I presume?"

The three of them nodded quickly.

The man eyed them up for a moment before he reached into a container with a pair of tongs and pulled out what appeared to be a giant slug, placing it into a bag.

"I assume you are aware that you cannot touch this with bare hands," he spoke as he punched a few buttons on the register. "The pus reacts quite oddly with human skin…it'll raise horribly painful boils if handled incorrectly."

"Yes," Hermione nodded, "Thank you, I know."

"Okay then," he handed her the bag and she reached into her purse handing him back some money.

A moment later, the three of them were back on the street.

"We only have twenty minutes now," Harry pointed out, "We're going to have to be quick."

"Good thing you have your cloak," Ron replied.

"Shhh," Hermione scolded. She stopped and looked around quickly, spotting a small unoccupied alley way. "Over there, come on."

She led the way into the small space and for a quick moment Harry couldn't help but think that if there was ever a time to turn back, this was it.

But that moment passed as Hermione dug into her purse and pulled out a small vial.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"It looks disgusting," Ron noted as he leaned against the brick wall behind him.

Harry couldn't help but not in agreement at these words. The potion, which was a mucky brown color with what appeared to be lumps in it, looked disgusting at best.

"It's a memory modifier," Hermione replied coolly, "Once she drinks this she won't remember anything much less how to write."

"That's brilliant!" Ron replied in an amazed voice. "Really Hermione you've out done yourself."

But Harry wasn't so sure.

"We can't do that though…she's ruddy horrible, yeah…but we can't take her memory from her forever."

"Oh I'm sure it won't last forever Harry, once they figure out what exactly caused it they'll be able to fix it….I read it usually only takes a few days to figure it out and then a few to brew the antidote. The longest the book mentioned it lasting was a month but that was only in one case."

Harry thought about this for a moment before he nodded in agreement with the plan.

He knew it wasn't right but he had to admit…she did kind of deserve it.

"Hold this," Hermione instructed as she handed the vial to Harry. Reaching into her purse once more she pulled out a pair of plastic gloves.

The boys watched as she opened the bag and took out the bubotuber. Carefully she squeezed it and a yellow-green pus leaked out of the side.

"Open the vial," she instructed and Harry quickly obliged.

Hermione took the vial from his hand and carefully squeezed the pus into it, before replacing the bubotuber in the bag and the lid back on the vial.

"So now all we need to do is sneak into the headquarters of The Daily Prophet and pour this into her drink," Hermione explained.

She paused for a moment before she spoke once more. "Harry it really was brilliant to bring your cloak."

Harry smiled in reply but he couldn't help but think that the majority of the time that he came up with a brilliant idea he somehow ended up in trouble.

Silently Harry unzipped his jacket and pulled out his cloak. The trio quickly huddled together and he swept it around them.

He couldn't help but realize that the last time the three of them had been under the cloak together they had been sneaking off to get the stone. That was over a year ago and being under the cloak he realized how much they had all really grown, there was hardly any extra room at all.

"We need to follow someone through the door," Hermione instructed in a soft voice as they made their way towards the front door of the building.

Luckily, within a moment of them waiting there, a large man passed them, swinging the door open widely as he walked in.

"We have to find her office," Harry said in a voice that was barely even as loud to be a whisper.

Slowly and carefully, as not to touch anything or anyone, they made their way down a long hallway. They would have passed her office all together if it wasn't for Ron nudging Harry in the back.

There, to the left of them, was a large oak door, propped slightly open, and on it was a brass sign that clearly read, Rita Skeeter.

Harry glanced through the doorway to see that Skeeter was clearly not in her office. Fortunately however, a mug was sitting on her desk, steam slightly rising off of it.

Harry could feel his friend's excited breathing as they too realized how easy this task would be.

Walking in unison, as quiet as they possibly could, they crept into her office.

Unable to turn around and see her without taking the cloak off, Harry heard Hermione digging though her purse for the vial.

"Hermione shhh," Ron pleaded.

"Sorry," Hermione breathed as Harry heard the lid pop off the small bottle.

Seconds later the sound of the potion being poured into the hot drink were heard.

"Done," Hermione whispered, her voice sounding quite victorious.

* * *

"We did it," Ron said in an amazed voice as the trio whisked the cloak off. "We actually bloody did it!"

They were back in the alley way, Ron and Hermione waiting patiently as Harry quickly shoved the cloak back into his jacket, patting it down as so he didn't appear to be seven or eight months along.

"We're late though," Harry replied as he zipped up his jacket, "Five minutes late."

"Ginny will stall her," Hermione said, "I just know she will."

* * *

As per usual, Hermione was right. The trio arrived in front of Ollivander's to find Mrs. Weasley and Ginny no where in sight.

Fred and George were there though, sitting on a bench.

"Where's mum?" Ron asked as he approached his brothers.

"Late," Fred replied, "The nerve of her."

"We'll have to have a talk with her," George added, "Explain to her how a clock works."

"I'd pay to see that," Ron laughed rolling his eyes as Mrs. Weasley and Ginny came rushing up the street.

"I'm so sorry loves," Mrs. Weasley cried, "We were on our way here and Ginny wanted to show me something in Magical Menagerie, didn't you dear?"

Ginny nodded giving Hermione a small wink as she did.

"Did you all get everything you need?" Mrs. Weasley asked. "We really should be getting back, it's getting late and I should start getting dinner ready. Perhaps you kids can fly while I tend to that."

Harry smiled as Mrs. Weasley turned and began heading down the street, Fred and George following behind her. They had completely gotten away with it.

Ginny hung back a moment, walking beside Hermione just a step in front of Harry and Ron.

"Hey Gin," Ron said.

His sister stopped walking and turned to look at him.

"Thanks," Ron said in a somewhat embarrassed voice, "You know for not telling and stalling mum and all that."

Ginny smiled at her older brother as she nodded, "You're welcome…I keep telling you I don't tell….that's Percy's job."

"Let's go you four," Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out causing all four of them to turn and look at her, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop lollygagging. Honestly!"

**TBC...**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the kind reviews, you really have no idea how much I appreciate them. Enjoy this chapter, tell me what you love or hate and with a little luck I'll have the next one up in a few days.**

**Mira**

* * *

A full week has passed since the trip to Diagon Alley and Harry still couldn't believe that they had seriously gotten away with what they had done.

When Harry and Sirius had first arrived home that night, Harry had been beside himself with nervousness. He was sure that at any given moment someone was going to knock on the door or an owl would arrive delivering a letter, or Mrs. Weasley would pop up in the floo and tell Sirius exactly what had happened.

The night had been a quiet one though. Sirius and Harry had enjoyed their tea, as per usual, and Sirius had even allowed him to stay up a bit later than he normally would.

Every morning for the past week, Harry had scanned the front page of The Daily Prophet as his godfather held it up while reading the articles inside. Surely, if there was going to be an article about Rita Skeeter losing her memory, it would be front page news, but so far Harry hadn't seen anything.

He had really wanted to talk the whole thing over with Ron, to find out if his best mate had heard anything he hadn't, but he knew sending any information by owl would be way too risky and when he had mentioned going to visit Ron the previous day, Sirius had informed him that Ron's Aunt Muriel was visiting.

"Well then can he come here?" Harry had asked in a hopeful voice.

Sirius had shaken his head, giving his godson a small smile, "Not today but you'll see him tomorrow night at the meeting I'm sure."

Harry looked up at his godfather who was sitting in his chair reading the paper. As they had all week, his eyes scanned what they could before Sirius set the paper down and took a bite of his toast.

"There's a meeting tonight?" Harry asked before sipping his pumpkin juice.

Sirius nodded, "We're going to head over just after supper."

"So what are we going to do all day? Want to fly with me?" the boy asked in a hopeful voice.

"Actually I wanted to speak with you about something," Sirius replied, "Something regarding today."

"We're going to do something better than flying?" Harry guessed with a small smile.

"Not exactly," Sirius replied and Harry instantly noted that his godfather looked as though he was dreading what he was about to say. "I spoke with Dumbledore and though you have been on a bit of a break due to the Quidditch World Cup and your birthday it's really time that you get back to your lessons with…."

"Snape," Harry practically whined the name.

"And Remus," Sirius interjected, "As I recall you happen to enjoy your lessons with Remus."

Harry shrugged. "I do but I hate going to lessons with Snape, they're boring Sirius and he's mean."

Sirius sighed softly before he spoke. "Perhaps they are and maybe he can be, but do you have any idea how important what he is teaching you is?"

"Yeah I know," Harry muttered.

"Especially after what just happened at the World Cup."

"But no one knows if Voldemort was really there, it could have just been death eaters and…"

"And that makes it less dangerous?" Sirius asked as he began to clean up the table from breakfast.

"Maybe a little," Harry replied in a low voice.

"Maybe not at all," his godfather replied as he turned on the kitchen sink, depositing the dirty dishes into the water. "I'm sorry you dislike the lessons Harry but I have to agree with Dumbledore this time."

"So I have one today?" Harry asked in a miserable voice. He didn't know why he was bothering to ask. It was clear from the conversation that he did.

"We're going to head over to Hogwarts in about an hour."

Harry sighed miserably as he sank down into his chair. "What if I just refuse to go?" He dared to ask, though once again he already knew the answer.

"You are going," Sirius replied, "hopefully on your own two feet but if you refuse to do that I'll just have to carry you there…sore bum and all."

"I'm thirteen now you know," Harry replied in a huff.

"I'm perfectly aware of how old you are though I'm not sure what exactly it has to do with this conversation."

"I'm too old for that!"

Sirius stifled his laughter, swallowing hard before he replied. "I assure you Harry that you aren't but if you really feel that way then perhaps you should just behave all the time and there will never be an issue with it will there?"

Harry made a face. He had expected the answer but he still didn't like it.

"But I **am** too old." He paused for a moment before using the line he had heard the twins use a week earlier. "I am nearly of age!"

"You're far from it," his godfather replied. "And if you want an example of just how far from it you are you'll keep this up instead of going to get ready."

Another sigh escaped the young wizard before he stood up and carried his plate over to the sink. "Alright I'll go," he informed his godfather, admitting defeat. "But I still don't think it's fair."

"You're absolutely right," Sirius replied as he abandoned the dishes and turned to face his godson. Harry instantly noted that the man seemed a bit stern and he hoped he hadn't already pushed him too far. "It isn't fair at all but sadly life isn't always fair and if making you suffer through a few classes with Snape is what I have to do to keep you safe then you're going to go to those classes despite how unfair you find it, understood?"

"Yes Sir," Harry muttered miserably.

"Cheer up," Sirius' stern demeanour vanished as he flashed his godson a smile. "It'll only be for an hour and then I suppose I could go flying with you."

"Really? You promise?"

Sirius chuckled as he went back to the dishes. "I promise. Now go and get yourself ready for your lesson."

* * *

An hour later Harry was walking down the dark corridor of the dungeons, heading for the Potions classroom.

Moments after he and his godfather had arrived at the castle, Sirius had headed for Dumbledore's office instructing Harry to go straight to his lesson and then straight to Remus' office to wait for him. For a split second, Harry had toyed with the idea of refusing to move altogether but he really didn't want to find out how true his godfather would be to his word and so with a sigh he nodded and headed in the right direction.

He walked through the Potions classroom and then paused in front of Snape's office door, feeling extra sorry for himself, before he knocked loudly.

"You may enter," came the hiss of a reply. "And in the future you may refrain from knocking on my door as if you are intending to put your hand through it completely."

Slowly Harry pushed the door open, wishing he were anywhere but where he was.

"Hello Professor," Harry spoke in a soft voice. For a moment he thought that if maybe he started off nicely and politely that this lesson wouldn't be quite so bad after all.

"Potter," Snape replied from behind his desk. He didn't move at all from his spot and Harry almost wondered if maybe Sirius had gotten the days wrong. Usually when he came for a lesson, Snape was already up and ready to torture him with invading his mind.

"I thought we would try something different today," Snape continued after several moments of silence, "You've had some time off and instead of jumping right back into your normal lessons, which I am sure haven't improved at all, I am going to have you write me an essay on what you have learned thus far from these private classes."

Harry nodded miserably. He didn't think it was possible for Snape to make these lessons any more horrible then they already were but if he had a choice he'd almost rather have Snape look at his memories then write an essay for the next hour.

"Yes Sir," he muttered as he sat at a small round table. A moment later a piece of parchment and a quill appeared before him.

"And mind your handwriting and spelling Potter, I hardly feel like deciphering your chicken scratch in order to read what you write."

* * *

"I can't believe Sirius is still making you do that," Ron replied with dissatisfaction.

Harry had just relayed the day's events to his best mate and his younger sister as Fred and George were once again at a friend's house.

"It's for his safety," Ginny said, "It certainly wouldn't be good if you-know-who could see his thoughts."

Ginny was sitting on the floor, engaged in the conversation with them unlike in the past where she would lie on the bed, hiding behind a book, though clearly listening. Harry couldn't help but smile over this new change. Obviously, Ron had seen something different in his sister after the day at Diagon Alley.

"Who cares? I'd rather him see my thoughts then get stuck with that stupid git Snape all summer long," Ron said in disgust.

Harry shrugged. "I don't really have a choice, Sirius says I have to. He felt bad about it though, I know he did. He even went flying with me for like two hours after to make up for it."

"And it's only for another few weeks," Ginny replied, "And then we'll be back at school."

"Where he'll have to see him every day," Ron pointed out.

"And maybe still for private lessons too," Harry admitted, "I don't know yet."

The three of them were quiet for a moment before Harry spoke once more, this time in a more hushed tone.

"Did either of you hear anything about Skeeter?"

Ron shook his head.

"Mum did mention that she hasn't seen an article by her all week," Ginny said, "She actually said she hopes that maybe she was fired."

"So then you think it worked?" Harry asked.

Ron nodded his red head quickly. "I think it definitely worked. Come on I mean Hermione made the potion…she always does those things right and Skeeter hasn't written an article all week, that never happens!"

"But wouldn't there be something in the paper about it if it did?" Harry asked.

"Maybe," Ginny nodded, "But not necessarily. Maybe they don't want anyone to know just yet. Maybe she is embarrassed or something."

Harry thought about this for a moment. It certainly made sense. After all if it were him he would be embarrassed.

"Or maybe no one figured out what happened yet, maybe they just think she's gone mental. Or maybe it was in the paper and we just don't know it," Ron added. "Either way we got away with it didn't we? No one has any idea it was us and if they never put it in the paper no one will ever even know it happened."

* * *

"Joining me for tea?"

Sirius asked this question every night though the answer was always the same. The only time he didn't ask it was when Harry was in trouble for something but luckily for him it had been a long time since he was in any kind of trouble that affected their nightly tea.

Harry nodded in reply as he followed his godfather into the kitchen.

"How was the meeting?" He asked a few moments later when Sirius set a tea cup down in front of him and then took his own seat.

"Productive," Sirius replied. "By the way Snape said you were very well behaved today."

Though this news should have pleased Harry he couldn't help but making a face instead. He didn't want Snape discussing him in front of all the other adults in the meeting.

"He doesn't have to tell you stuff like that," Harry scowled, "I never misbehave for him."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at this declaration. "I seem to be able to recall a time or two when you've been a handful for the man."

Harry made a face at his godfather before he spoke. "Why are you siding with him?"

"Relax Pup I'm not doing anything of the sort. I was just informing you that he commented to me that you were well behaved. I hardly think that is a reason to get upset. You're a bit testy these days hmm?"

Harry shrugged before he changed the subject. "Did anything else happen at the meeting?"

"Nothing that would be of any interest to you," Sirius replied, "Though Dumbledore did inform us that Rita Skeeter is currently in St. Mungo's."

"St. Mungo's?" Harry repeated, literally feeling his stomach drop and his hands go clammy.

Sirius nodded. "Apparently she digested some memory modifying potion, though no one is quite sure how, and they are currently feeding her the antidote around the clock…it isn't easy work to grow your memories back. Can be quite painful at times actually."

Harry fought hard to keep the guilty look off of his face as he spoke. "But she'll be okay?"

"She will," Sirius nodded, "In another week she should be back to normal, though it would be a treat if they could make her a bit nicer wouldn't it?"

Harry forced a smile as he nodded. "Yeah it would."

"Shame someone didn't think to make her drink a truth serum as opposed to a memory modifier, would have been nice to read some real articles from her," Sirius chuckled.

"So when are we moving?" Harry asked keen to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"I'm not quite sure yet, possibly not until you are back at school," Sirius replied with a curious look on his face. "And why so quick to change the subject? I thought you of all people would get a good laugh out of what has happened to Rita Skeeter, after everything she has put you through."

Harry shrugged, once again praying his guilt wasn't showing. "I don't want her hurt though."

"She'll be fine Pup I promise you," Sirius smiled, "Don't worry yourself about it."

Harry nodded quietly as he looked down into his tea cup.

Clearly Sirius wasn't too concerned over what had happened so Harry couldn't help but think that perhaps Ron had been right. Maybe Sirius wouldn't be angry if he knew after all. Not that Harry was going to tell him and find out but it was nice to think that if the man knew he'd be proud of his godson rather than cross with him. After all, hadn't Sirius and his dad played pranks on people all the time? As far as Harry was concerned, this was no different than that.

* * *

"Are we going to have to have this conversation every time you have to go?" Sirius asked in a tired voice from his place by the fireplace.

He already had a handful of floo powder in his hand as he looked down at his godson who was leaning against the arm of the couch.

"But I hate it," Harry replied in a voice that was dangerously close to a whine.

"It's a short lesson with Snape today and then a lesson with Remus that should make you happy."

Harry shrugged quietly.

The lesson with Remus did in fact make him happy, but he hardly wanted to suffer through time with Snape in order to get there, no matter how short the time was.

"I'll ask once more for you to come peacefully and then I'm really not going to be happy," Sirius said in a low voice.

Harry sighed loudly before he pulled himself up into a standing position and turned towards the fireplace.

"Thank you," Sirius spoke in a soft voice.

Harry sighed once more, "Welcome."

* * *

"As your lessons in the past were mediocre at best, I will expect complete concentration and dedication from you today."

"Yes Sir," Harry muttered.

He had barely been in Snape's office for more than a moment before the man was already annoying him.

"You will now dissipate your body of all emotions," Snape instructed as Harry stood before him.

"And on the count of three," Snape spoke a moment later.

"One…two…."

The office disappeared for a moment. Harry was six and watching Dudley drip ice cream all over himself as Harry longed for some of his own….he was standing in the Great Hall watching the sorting hat put Hermione into Gryffindor…he was in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom….NO his brain screamed loudly.

A moment later he opened his eyes to find himself on the floor of Snape's office.

"Honestly Potter, you take a week or so off and it's as if you are back at square one."

Harry didn't speak as he stood up, knowing that if he allowed himself to say anything at all he was going to wind up in trouble.

"Are you even trying?" Snape asked.

"Yes Sir," Harry forced the words out as he stood on shaking legs in front of the Professor.

"It will not work unless you clear your mind of everything else…which in your case should hardly be difficult."

Harry bit his tongue, using every form of self discipline he had to keep himself from telling the greasy git exactly what he thought of him.

"Let's try once more shall we?" Snape asked.

Harry nodded as he stood, waiting for the attack on his mind.

"One…two…"

Once again the office disappeared from around him. He was seven as his Aunt Petunia yelled at him for a lamp that Dudley had broken…he was with Remus in a Defense lesson…he was under the cloak as Ron's breathing got consistently louder and Hermione's hand slipped out, dumping the vial into the coffee cup that clearly had the letters RS engraved on the side of it.

The office reappeared suddenly and Harry instantly looked up at Snape. The man's face was furious as he leaned over Harry and grabbing him by an arm hauled him onto his feet.

"Ow." Harry couldn't help but mutter.

Snape however ignored his discomfort and instead looked him directly in the face. His dark eyes were angrier then Harry ever remembered seeing them in the past.

"You three stepped willfully over the line this time," he spoke in a low voice, punctuating each word.

As fear swept through Harry, he mentally kicked himself for being so stupid. If he had just listened from the start and mastered Occlumency months ago none of this would have happened and now he had gotten Ron and Hermione caught as well.

"We…I…we didn't," Harry stammered trying to find words to fix what Snape had saw.

"Save your bubbling excuses for the Headmaster Potter," Snape hissed as he led Harry towards the door, his grip on the boy never decreasing.

**TBC…**


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Thank you all so very, very much for all the reviews and private messages I received recently. You all really have no idea how much I appreciate it...I really do have the best readers : ) **

**A word about this chapter...I actually wrote out three different drafts of this chapter before deciding to combine all three. Now because I decided to do that the chapter was going to end up being way too long so I decided to split it into two chapters so here is the first part and I'll try to have the second up in a few days. **

**Enjoy!**

**Mira**

* * *

Snape charged through the hallways, his grip on Harry never for a second loosening as he lectured with every step.

"Of all the idiotic things the three of you have done this is by far the most unacceptable," Snape spoke as he pulled Harry up a flight of stairs.

Harry was practically jogging to keep up with the man, tripping over his own two feet every hundred steps or so. He was also fighting with every desire he felt. He wanted nothing more then to rip himself from Snape's firm grip and run all the way to the Defense classroom, but then there was a good chance that Remus wouldn't be any less angry. Still, Harry couldn't imagine Remus ever being as enraged as Snape was at the moment.

"I sincerely hope that your godfather sees the severity of what you have done here because I promise you Potter if you were in my care you would be in for a long session over my knee."

Harry winced slightly at these words but quickly pushed the thought from his head. He just had to explain to his godfather. Sirius would understand. After all, he and his dad had pranked people all the time. Surely he couldn't be mad at him for doing the same thing.

Harry nearly fell into Snape as the man stopped abruptly in front of the gargoyle statue.

"Fizzing Whizbee," he spoke in a clear voice.

The gargoyle immediately moved out of the way as Snape stepped onto the stone staircase, pulling Harry on behind him.

Moments later Snape knocked loudly on Dumbledore's office door and Harry fought the urge to repeat the man's words back to him and inform him that he shouldn't knock as if he's going to put his hand through the door.

Harry heard Dumbledore's usual cheerful voice tell them to enter and a moment later Snape opened the door and practically pushed Harry through it.

"Severus?" Dumbledore said in a confused voice. "Harry? What is the meaning of this?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak but unfortunately Snape beat him to it.

"Potter was in his lesson with me when I stumbled across a memory that I felt several people would find quite an amount of interest in."

Harry shot Snape a dirty look which was, to his relief, missed by both adults in the room.

"Have a seat please," Dumbledore offered giving Harry a smile in the process.

Harry immediately sat down in the chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, though Snape declined finding pacing around the room much more to his liking.

For the first time since this whole ordeal had started Harry finally felt a bit braver. Snape could be quite intimidating under normal circumstances and at the moment Harry felt his intimidation level had gone up 100 %, it was nice to be in the presence of Dumbledore whom, like Remus, Harry could never imagine as furious as Snape was at the moment.

"We've discussed this Severus and as I said then events that occurred months ago are hardly to be held against Harry today."

Harry looked at Dumbledore curiously. He was surprised to hear that he had been discussed in the past, or rather his memories had been but after thinking about it for a moment he supposed it made sense. After all, Harry was sure if it was up to Snape he'd be hauling him to the gargoyle statue for nearly every memory he saw.

An ounce of hope sprung in Harry at Dumbledore's words as well. Perhaps he would never even have to explain any of this to his godfather. If Dumbledore said Snape couldn't tell him surely he wouldn't go against the Headmaster's words.

"I am aware of the conversation we had," Snape spoke and Harry noticed that his voice hadn't calmed down at all. "However this has absolutely nothing to do with the past and everything to do with the present time."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment as he gave Harry a curious look which caused Harry to squirm uncomfortably in his seat and bite softly on his lower lip.

"Continue," Dumbledore nodded towards Snape.

"Apparently Mr. Potter as well as his friends had a large hand in the events surrounding Ms. Skeeter's present predicament."

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry looked up at the Headmaster and found that his demeanor hadn't changed in the least. He still looked cheerful, albeit slightly confused.

"It was just supposed to be a prank," Harry tried to explain in a soft voice.

"A prank indeed", Snape thundered, "The three of them snuck into The Daily Prophet under that blasted cloak and slipped Memory Modifier into her morning tea!"

Despite his best efforts to appear brave, Harry winced slightly at Snape's deafening yelling.

"Is this true?"

Once again Harry searched the Headmaster's face for any sign of what he was feeling on the matter and found that although he didn't look nearly as angry as Snape, the twinkle in his eye was gone and his cheerfulness had vanished.

"Yes Sir," Harry nodded hoping his voice sounded braver then his body felt.

"Severus you may excuse yourself."

"Surely you see the harm in what they have done. Not only did they put themselves in great peril but they endangered the well being of another."

"I am very aware of both of those assessments Severus and I wish to speak to Harry alone for a moment before further action is taken."

Harry swallowed hard at these words as he wondered if he could be expelled for what he had done and if not expelled then just how much trouble had he gotten himself, not to mention his two best friends in.

Snape was silent for a moment and then, just as he had entered, he thundered out of the office and down the spiral staircase.

The room remained silent as Dumbledore sat quietly, his eyes downcast. Harry took this time to glance around the room and immediately noticed that all the paintings were not only wide awake but glaring at him with scolding eyes.

"Professor I…I am sorry," Harry said softly. He was beginning to find Dumbledore's silence to be far worse than any scolding the man could do. "It really was just supposed to be a prank. We never thought she'd end up at St. Mungos. Really if we thought that would happen we wouldn't have done it…honest."

Slowly Dumbledore brought his eyes up to meet Harry's own emerald ones.

"You are a remarkable child Harry."

"Sir?" Harry couldn't help but ask his voice one of confusion.

"However," Dumbledore continued, "though quite remarkable at times you can be just as careless."

Harry silently agreed with the man. He wanted to plead his case once more but he wasn't sure he was supposed to respond to the Headmaster's words at all.

"Your actions and those of your friends who I assume are Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger were extremely carless. As Professor Snape mentioned you not only put your own lives in danger by sneaking off and committing what could very well be seen as a punishable crime by the Ministry but you also put Ms. Skeeter's life in danger."

"A crime?" Harry asked in a shocked voice. He had never, not even for a moment, considered what they had done to be against the law.

"Yes a crime. If the Ministry knew of your actions they could very well see it as a crime and though they certainly wouldn't cart you off to Azkaban for what you did they could very well impose other consequences." Dumbledore paused for a moment to give Harry a displeased look. "Now I personally see no need to make the Ministry aware of anyone's involvement in this situation nor do I see any reason to punish you myself as you are currently on holiday from school and your crime did not affect Hogwarts in any way."

"Thank you," Harry said softly. A bit of joy had soared through him at the knowledge that he wouldn't be expelled and neither would either of his friends.

"However," Dumbledore continued, "I am going to have to inform Sirius of this new development in Ms. Skeeter's case."

Harry nodded. He had expected as much.

"Actually I think it would be best if you accompanied me to your house now," Dumbledore spoke as he stood up, "I'm not sure it's the best idea for me to send you off to your lesson with Professor Lupin today."

Harry felt his shoulder's slump a considerable amount at these words. He guessed he should have expected that he would miss his Defense lesson today but some small part of him was still holding on to the hope that Dumbledore would send him off while he went and spoke to Sirius alone.

Dumbledore gave the boy a small smile as he rounded his desk.

"Come now Harry," he said.

Slowly Harry rose from the chair, watching as Dumbledore took a handful of floo powder out of a large gold tin on his mantel.

The two of them stepped into the fireplace and seconds later emerged into the living room.

"I'm in the kitchen Pup," Sirius hollered out.

Clearly the man had lost track of time and thought it was just Harry returning from his lessons.

"Perhaps it would be best if you excused yourself to your bedroom and allowed me to speak with him first?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry nodded quickly but before he could even take a step Sirius appeared in the living room.

"Well this is a surprise," he smiled widely, "Everything alright?"

Before either of them could open their mouths to speak, Sirius' eyes roamed down to his godson and instantly his smile vanished. He could immediately tell by the look on Harry's face that something was very obviously not alright.

"I was going to speak to you for the boy," Dumbledore explained and Harry noted that he once again sounded like his normal cheerful self. "But perhaps I was wrong in thinking that would be the best idea. Maybe it would be best to let Harry explain things himself."

Harry looked up at his godfather and saw the man's grey eyes filled with confusion. He immediately began to tally up his misbehavior in his mind and suddenly realized he was absolutely mental to think for even a second that Sirius wasn't going to be at least a bit cross.

"Harry?" Sirius asked.

"I…I mean we…no I mean I…," Harry stumbled over his words trying to decipher where the best place to start would be. It was going to be bad enough trying to explain all of this to his godfather and he hardly wanted to do it with Dumbledore standing behind him.

"Actually perhaps it would be best if I excused myself altogether," Dumbledore spoke. He turned on his spot and took a handful of floo powder from the mantel. "Sirius if you need to speak with me about anything I will be in my office for the remainder of the day."

Sirius opened his mouth to respond but Dumbledore spoke once more cutting the man off in the process.

"Good day to you both."

And with that he was gone.

"Alright what is going on?" Sirius asked. Harry noted that although the man's voice was anxious he didn't sound angry at all.

"I have to talk to you…I have to tell you something."

"I'm listening," Sirius replied.

"Promise you won't go mental," Harry asked in a voice that was closer to a whisper than anything else.

"I'll make no such promise," Sirius shook his head. "Now what is this about Harry?"

For a moment Harry wished Dumbledore hadn't left. After all, Sirius wouldn't punish him in front of the Headmaster…then he thought about the night at The Leaky Cauldron with Mrs. Weasley and once again felt relief that the man had excused himself.

"It's about Rita Skeeter."

"Rita?" Sirius raised an eyebrow and Harry was surprised the man didn't put it together immediately. It was almost worse that he didn't, it made Harry feel as though he didn't expect that his godson could have done such a thing.

"When I went to Diagon Alley…I…I mean we…no I…," Harry struggled trying to decide if there was a way to go about this without ratting out his friends.

"Which is it Harry we or I?" Sirius asked and Harry noticed for the first time that his godfather was already losing his patience.

"We," Harry admitted, not wanting to lie. "Ron, Hermione, and I. We…I took my cloak and we used it and snuck off for awhile."

"And what does that have to do with Rita Skeeter?"

Harry chewed his bottom lip as he shifted his weight from foot to foot. How could his godfather not have put two and two together by now? He didn't want to have to say it.

"I asked you a question," Sirius said in an irate voice.

"We snuck into The Daily Prophet and we put the Memory Modifier in her drink," Harry admitted in a soft voice.

"You?" Sirius spoke in a voice that sounded like he almost couldn't believe what he was just told. "You three went and…" He paused for a moment pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyes closed. "_Harry__James_."

Harry inwardly winced at the sound of his full name, always a sure sign that he was in trouble with his godfather.

"It was just supposed to be a prank," Harry quickly tried to explain himself. "We were just trying to get back at her. We never knew she'd end up in St. Mungo's."

"That is absolutely no excuse," Sirius shook his head, his hand dropping back down to his side.

"And you and my dad used to prank people all the time," Harry continued. "You've told me all about it!"

Harry wasn't sure why but he was suddenly feeling very annoyed at how angry his godfather appeared to be. Just that morning Sirius had been poking fun over what happened to Rita Skeeter and now all of a sudden he was acting as though it was the worst crime in the world.

"And have you any idea what your grandfather would have done had we pulled a prank such as this one you've just pulled?" Sirius asked in a cross voice. "We would have been sleeping on our stomachs for a week!"

"She deserved it Sirius! You know she did!" Harry nearly yelled.

"Lower your voice," Sirius scolded. "You know far better than to speak to me with that tone."

"But she did deserve it!" Harry continued, not bothering to lower his voice. "And you aren't even listening!"

"I am listening. I am listening to every word you are saying and what I am hearing is that you did something incredibly foolish and not only that but you broke several other rules in the process," Sirius responded. His face was past cross now and closer to just plain angry.

"And the only reason we even got caught is because **you** made me go to lessons with Snape and that stupid arse saw it in my memories!"

"Alright that's it," Sirius shook his head, a tired look on his face. "To your room now. You know far better than to speak like that."

"No!" Harry stamped his foot. "I want you to listen to me!"

"I will listen to you just as soon as you've calmed down and I've had time to think. Now I want you to go to your room this instant."

"I'm calm now! You need to calm down!" Harry insisted, though his voice didn't lower a decibel.

A moment later Sirius had his godson by the arm. Turning him to the side he brought his hand down hard across the boy's backside before crouching before him, holding both of his arms tightly.

"Now that is enough!" Sirius said in a stern tone. "I am sorry if you don't think that I am being fair but that is absolutely no excuse to speak to me the way you have."

Harry looked down at his feet, sniffling loudly. That swat Sirius had just given him had stung terribly and though he didn't want to give into them he couldn't help the tear or two that escaped from his eyes.

"Please look at me when I am speaking to you," Sirius spoke, though it hardly sounded like a request.

Harry brought his head up, his face meeting his godfather's.

"Now you are going to go to your room and you are going to stay there and calm down. Perhaps you can think about what you've done as well because this conversation is far from over."

Sirius let go of his grip on his godson's arms and stood up straight. Harry's hand immediately went to his face, brushing away the few tears that had escaped.

"But you…"

"I'm warning you Harry, go to your room before you find yourself over my knee right now for your disrespect alone."

Harry looked up at his godfather who looked as angry as ever before he turned and walked towards the stairs, keeping his mouth shut as he went.

**TBC…**


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: I am so sorry it took me so long to get this posted but the weekend just completely got away from me and so I made this chapter a bit longer than normal to make up for it. Also I tried something a bit different (well different for me) in this chapter so please feel free to tell me what you love or hate…just do it nicely please : )**

**Enjoy!**

**Mira**

* * *

Sirius watched as Harry disappeared up the stairs and the moment the boy was out of sight he collapsed into his arm chair mentally scolding himself. He hadn't meant to lose his patience so quickly and he certainly hadn't meant to dole out a smack that was so hard his hand was now tingling from the impact.

He sighed loudly as he leaned back, his eyes closing. The silent scolding continued as he thought of the way he had just behaved. How in Merlin's name could he constantly correct Harry for his temper when he possessed one that was just as bad, if not worse?

He felt foolish now but he had actually believed that the fiasco with the letter was going to be the last time he had to punish his godson. After all, Harry had been so upset over the punishment and so apologetic, he couldn't imagine the boy would go looking for trouble again so quickly.

He heard the whoosh of the floo and quickly opened his eyes. He had half expected to find Dumbledore had returned but he wasn't surprised at all when he saw Remus stepping into his living room.

"Is everything alright? Harry never showed up for his lesson and I wanted to make sure you knew he…"

"Harry is in his room," Sirius said, cutting off his oldest friend. "Where he may just stay until he is of age."

Remus' brow wrinkled slightly as he made a curious face before taking a seat on the couch. "Rough morning?"

"Saying it was a rough morning is a huge understatement Moony."

"Is he at it with the attitude again? I suppose a bit of it is to be expected. He is at that age you know."

Sirius shook his head. "I wish it was simply an issue with his attitude, at least then I might have an inkling of an idea of how to handle it."

Remus raised an eyebrow in concern. "What has he done? Surely it can't be that bad Padfoot."

Sirius gave Remus a pointed look before he spoke. "He and his friends snuck away from Molly when they were in Diagon Alley. Harry apparently took his cloak along with him…without my knowledge mind you…and the three of them were the ones who put the Memory Modifier in Skeeter's drink."

Remus' face instantly changed from a look of curiosity to a look of pure shock and then one of anger.

"Have they any idea how dangerous what they did is?"

"Apparently they don't," Sirius replied with a sigh. "Harry is convinced that it was just a harmless prank and that I am being completely unfair in even being angry."

"Did you try and…"

"I attempted to explain it to him, yes. " Sirius interrupted, knowing what he was about to ask before he even spoke. "But it turned into quite the row and now he is in his room."

Remus was quite for a moment as he took the situation in.

"How on earth do I deal with something like this?" Sirius muttered. "I mean obviously I know how to deal with this though I'm certainly not looking forward to tanning my godson's backside. He broke the law Moony and he doesn't even think he did anything wrong. Have I failed him that badly in the past year that he really can't see how wrong what he did is?"

"You haven't failed that child at all. You have become a wonderful father to him," Remus spoke in a gentle voice. "And I am sure that Harry does realize it was wrong, even if he doesn't want to admit it. You need to speak with him Sirius…make him see it."

"I need time away from him first…time to calm down."

"Spending time alone in his room won't kill him…nor will a session over your knee," Remus mused. He paused for a moment before he spoke once more. "You are an excellent parent to the boy Padfoot but I have to tell you…I don't envy your job."

"I'll be honest with you, I'm not so fond of the job myself today," Sirius replied with a grim look on his face.

* * *

Harry's cheek was pushed against his pillow, his glasses discarded onto the nightstand. The house was completely silent, giving Harry no clue as to where Sirius was or when he'd knock on his bedroom door. He had been in his room for a total of nearly two hours already, marking a new record for the longest time he had ever had to wait for his godfather.

His thoughts went to the many times Sirius had laughed over an old story about a prank that he and his father had played on someone. And it wasn't even five hours ago that he was poking fun at what had happened to Rita Skeeter. He had actually even said that The Daily Prophet had improved 110% since she had taken leave.

He sniffed loudly as his brain replayed what had taken place downstairs. He was still working hard to convince himself that he was absolutely right in everything he had said to Sirius. Aside from that he was blocking out the memory of the smack his godfather had given him. It had taken forever for the sting of it to completely diminish and Harry couldn't help but worry that there could be more to come. It wasn't even the actual punishment it's self he was worried about, it was more the fact that he had promised himself he wouldn't be in this situation again. He had promised himself that the days of being punished by his godfather were long over and now not even six weeks later he was back in the same position, his cheeks burned in shame at the thought.

He breathed heavily as he wondered if Dumbledore had already told the Weasleys and Hermione's parents what they had done. Perhaps he went straight to the Burrow after he had left or sent an owl. Then again, maybe Sirius wasn't even home. Maybe he had gone to tell Mrs. Weasley himself. A small part of Harry was holding out hope that his friends wouldn't even be told on but he supposed that was very unlikely to happen. If it had just been Sirius that knew, maybe…but he guessed Dumbledore would have to tell and if he didn't, Harry was sure Snape would.

Harry's eyes roamed up to the clock on the wall once more. Two hours and twenty minutes had now passed and he was beginning to wonder if Sirius was going to come upstairs at all. Maybe this was his punishment. Maybe Sirius was just going to leave him in his room for the night. For a moment he prayed this was the case. Sirius could just leave him there and they'd never have to talk about it and in the morning it would be done and over with. But then he remembered his godfather's promise that their talk was long from over and Harry got the feeling that no matter what happened…this wasn't going to just go away.

* * *

Sirius had just finished preparing a plate of food when he heard the floo roar to life once more. He quickly abandoned the plate on the kitchen counter and walked into the living room to find Molly Weasley, looking absolutely beside herself.

"I apologize for barging in like this…Arthur thought I should stay at home and wait to speak to you until later but I just had to come over," she spoke before Sirius had a chance to greet her.

"You're always welcome here. Have a seat," Sirius forced a smile as he sat back in his armchair. "I take it Dumbledore spoke to you?"

Molly nodded as she took a seat across from Sirius. "He stopped by nearly an hour ago but of course I had to speak with Ronald before I came. I believe he was going to the Granger's next. I take it Harry is in his room?"

Sirius nodded.

"Sirius I promise you," she spoke, "I had absolutely no idea that the children had done such a thing. Had I know I would have…"

"Of course you didn't Molly, I never for a moment suspected that you did."

Sirius paused as she noticeably relaxed and then a look of anger took over her demeanor.

"The nerve of those children," Molly muttered wringing her hands together as she did. "And do you believe Ron actually had the audacity to try and convince me that they didn't do anything wrong?"

"There seems to be a bit of that going around today. Harry feels the same way which is part of the reason he's currently in his room….it's not exactly easy to discipline a child while he is yelling at you."

Molly raised a concerned eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that he hasn't been punished yet? Now I don't mean to meddle in your business because you are clearly very capable of handling Harry…he's just so much happier these days and so well adjusted but I'm not sure it's the best idea to let a child sit anxiously awaiting a punishment for quite so long."

"Perhaps not," Sirius agreed, "However I believe Harry and I both needed some time to cool down before either of us did something we would regret. I was actually going to head up there in a few moments.'

"Oh well then I'll get going," Molly said as she quickly jumped up off the couch. "Will I be seeing you and Harry at the meeting tomorrow night?"

"I'll be there," Sirius replied as he too stood, "Whether Harry will be or not has yet to be determined. However, I was thinking that it might not be a bad idea if he saw you sooner then that."

"Oh?" Molly asked as her eyebrows rose in curiosity.

"He misbehaved for you Molly I think it's only right that I send him over to apologize tomorrow and if you wish to express your disapproval in any way then you can feel free as well."

"Express my disapproval?" she asked. "Surely you don't mean."

"I'm certainly not asking you to punish him for me if that's what you are thinking," Sirius explained. "As I said I am heading up there in a moment and I promise you Harry will be more than punished by the time I am done with him. However, if you wish to add on a punishment of sorts tomorrow, I would hardly think it unfair on the children."

Molly gave Sirius a small smile as she nodded. "Actually now that you mentioned it, I do have something in mind."

* * *

Harry was just about convinced that his godfather was going to leave him in his room for the remainder of the day when he heard the knock on his door followed by the sound of Sirius' voice.

"Have we calmed down now?"

Harry nodded into his pillow. His godfather sounded a lot calmer but he still didn't sound like his normal cheerful self.

"Sit up please."

Harry quickly rolled onto his back and pulled himself into a sitting position. At that moment it didn't matter to him whether he thought he was right or wrong, he wasn't going to make his godfather ask him twice. Not when Sirius was as angry as he was.

The moment he was in a sitting position his godfather handed him a glass of pumpkin juice and a plate containing a corn beef sandwich. It wasn't his favorite choice, which told him Sirius was still plenty cross but he didn't hate it either.

"Eat your lunch and then we'll talk," Sirius instructed.

"My lunch?" Harry asked and then mentally kicked himself for sounding so dumb.

"Your lunch," Sirius nodded. "I am punishing you, not torturing you and certainly not starving you."

Harry didn't reply but instead bit into his sandwich. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until the food was in front of him and his stomach began to growl.

As Harry quickly devoured his lunch he watched his godfather move his desk chair and sit in it, waiting patiently. Harry thought about eating slowly but he was far too hungry and aside from that he honestly didn't see any point in delaying the inevitable.

As he ate his late bite and finished off his pumpkin juice he tried to assess his godfather's face out of the corner of his eye and based on what he saw decided that the man was still plenty angry, a unearthing that made him a bit nervous.

Sirius watched as Harry placed the plate and the glass on his bedside table beside his glasses. The boys eyes were downcast which told Sirius that he at least felt something whether it be remorse for his misbehavior or embarrassment at how he had acted earlier.

Sirius cleared his throat before he spoke in what he hoped was a calm voice. "Alright you and I are going to discuss this calmly. I am going to try my hardest not to go completely mental as you say and in return you are going to keep your yelling and cheekiness at bay. Understood?"

"Yes," Harry nodded.

"Good. Now I'd like you to explain to me what exactly happened and why you think that what you did is okay?" Sirius asked. He was fighting hard to keep his tone stern and yet calm at the same time. He certainly didn't want to appear soft but he didn't want to go back on his proposal and yell either.

Harry shrugged silently.

"I asked you a question and shrugging is not an option for an answer," Sirius spoke sternly. "Now if you don't wish to talk we can always go straight to your punishments but I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here by thinking that perhaps there is something I am missing and therefore I don't completely understand what has happened. Now are we going to talk or not?"

Harry nodded quickly. He didn't miss his godfather's plural use of the word punishment.

"I'm listening," Sirius prompted.

"Well when she wrote the article about me we decided that we should prank her to get back at her and then we came up with the potion idea and so when we went to Diagon Alley I decided to bring my cloak and we didn't think it would be that big of a deal…she deserved it Sirius even you said she did the other day." Harry's voice was the exact opposite of what it had been nearly two and a half hours earlier.

"Okay forget about the prank for a moment," Sirius replied. "Aside from pranking her…which was wrong mind you…you lied to both myself and Mrs. Weasley and you put your life in danger by sneaking off."

"But we were right at The Daily Prophet…well er the Apothecary and then The Daily Prophet but it isn't as if we went anywhere else, we…."

"And no one knew you were there…it isn't the fact of where you went but how you went about going there. What if something had happened like what happened at the World Cup and no one knew where you were?" Sirius asked fighting hard to keep his anger under control.

Harry shrugged. "I guess we didn't think of that."

"Clearly you three didn't do much thinking at all."

"But she did deserve it Sirius…you have to admit she did."

"I don't have to do anything of the sort," Sirius replied in a no-nonsense voice. "Do I think perhaps she may have deserved to be pranked…yes. However, there is a huge difference between playing a harmless prank on someone and putting someone's life in danger and I am extremely disappointed in you for doing what you did."

Harry felt his face blush ferociously at his godfather's words as he swallowed down the lump in his throat.

"Do you even realize that what you did is against the law?" Sirius asked, the volume of his voice climbing slightly. "If you would have been caught there would have been repercussions that would have been much more severe then the punishments you're going to receive from me."

Harry nodded silently.

"Was there even a moment where you thought that perhaps what you were doing was wrong?"

Another nod. "I guess I knew you'd be kind of cross if you found out."

"Kind of cross?" Sirius asked with a firm look on his face.

"I just wanted to get back at her for what she wrote about me and you always said that you and my dad played pranks on people all the time and…."

"And I suppose we did but we certainly didn't break the law doing them." Sirius sighed as he ran a hand down his face. His mind instantly went to the nearly disastrous prank he had played on Snape but he hardly thought that now was the right time to share that with his godson. "I can understand your wanting to get back at her for what she has done to you…trust me I can Harry…but unfortunately you went about it in completely the wrong way."

"But…"

"There are no excuses for this," Sirius cut him off abruptly. "You put someone's life in danger and you broke more than one rule in the process."

Harry gave his godfather a pitiful look but made no attempt to argue this time.

"Alright let's get this over with then," Sirius spoke once more as he stood up. "Follow me please."

Confusion took over Harry's face as he stood up and quickly followed his godfather out of his room and down the hallway. For a moment he was unsure what was going on but as Sirius headed towards the bathroom he got a pretty good idea of exactly what was about to happen.

"Sit," Sirius instructed as he pointed to the closed toilet seat, hoping his voice sounded a lot less shaky then it felt.

Harry sat in silence and watched as his godfather took a bar of soap from the cabinet above the sink and quickly opened it, running it under the water for a moment.

"Sirius…don't…I won't do it again…I promise," he pleaded and promised in a rushed voice.

Sirius shook his head firmly as he looked over at his godson. "Sorry Harry but I've given you more than one warning about this have I not?"

Harry nodded, the lump in his throat rapidly returning. "Yeah but…"

"No…I'm sorry but you knew what the consequence was going to be for telling a bold faced lie and you not only lied to me when I asked you about Diagon Alley and you declined to tell me what had happened but you lied to Mrs. Weasley when you snuck off."

Sirius turned off the water and turned to his godson. He absolutely hated himself for doing this but he had made his godson a promise and he could hardly back down now.

"Open," he instructed.

For a moment he expected Harry to stall or even flat out refuse but the boy swallowed hard before opening his mouth.

Sirius placed the bar of soap into his mouth. He supposed he could have just done a quick soap spell back in Harry's bedroom, as he knew many parents did, but he wasn't completely comfortable with using magic against his godson as a form of punishment.

He looked down at Harry who was very obviously struggling not to cry as he counted in his head. He figured a minute ought to do it. Long enough to make an impression but not too long either.

As he counted the number forty silently, Harry's breathing hitched as the first tear rolled down his godson's face.

Sirius forced his own face to remain neutral though he wanted nothing more than to cringe at his own memory of what his godson was experiencing.

Another second later Harry made an awful sound as several more tears made their way down his face.

Sirius exhaled softly as he counted forty-nine and removed the soap from the boy's mouth, the planned minute was clearly not going to happen as Sirius couldn't stand another moment of this.

"Go ahead and rinse your mouth," Sirius said causing Harry to immediately jump up and turn the water on, quickly filling a glass.

A moment later his godson, placed the glass back next to his toothbrush and turned to face his godfather.

"I'm sorry," Harry muttered through a loud sniffle.

Sirius nodded before leaning over so that he and Harry were nose to nose. "No more lying, got it?"

Harry nodded in earnest. "Never…I promise."

"Alright…now back to your room and we'll get the rest of this over with," Sirius spoke as he stood back up straight.

Harry looked up at his godfather with shock on his face.

"I'm sorry Harry but you lied and put your life in danger and as I recall those are two different rules with two very different consequences."

"But I'm sorry," Harry tried.

"I'm sure you are and I appreciate your apologizing but that doesn't change what you did," Sirius replied as he placed a gentle hand on the nape of his godson's neck and led him back down the hall.

* * *

The spanking lasted less then a minute but to the thirteen year old who had promised himself this wouldn't happen again it was devastating.

The moment Sirius had righted the boy and pulled up his trousers, Harry had lunged at his godfather, clutching onto him and sobbing heavily into his shoulder.

When Sirius had begun spanking his godson he had found it a bit unusual that Harry had cried so hard but he had completed the punishment regardless, convincing himself that Harry more then deserved it. But now as his godson continued to choke on sobs, he wasn't so sure he had done the right thing. He had been sure he hadn't hit the child nearly as hard as he had earlier in the day. In fact, compared to that whack he was sure the spanking he had just doled out was mild, then again, he wasn't on the receiving end of it.

"Hey," Sirius said softly into his godson's ear. "I know I was a bit hard on you but…."

"That wasn't going to happen," Harry sobbed out.

"What?" Sirius asked in a confused voice.

More sobs.

"Hey…talk to me Pup," Sirius urged his godson.

At the use of his nickname Harry's sobs, if possible, became deeper.

Now Sirius was worried. Had he been too harsh? Had he hurt the boy?

"What wasn't going to happen?" Sirius asked once more, as he felt the blood drain from his face.

Harry shook his head firmly against his godfather's shoulder.

"No," Sirius said as he gently pulled Harry away from him. "Talk to me. What wasn't going to happen?"

"I promised myself it wouldn't anymore…I'm too old."

Suddenly the pieces went together as Harry spoke and Sirius couldn't help but smile sadly at his godson.

"As I told you before you are not too old and I am sorry I had to do this today but I think you more than earned it."

Despite his original feelings on the matter Harry nodded miserably.

"And I won't hesitate to do it again if you deserve it. Trust me Pup, your dad and I were much older than you before we got into trouble for the last time," Sirius said.

"I really am sorry," Harry offered after a moment.

"I know you are," Sirius smiled softly. "And you are forgiven…however I do think you should stay in your room until supper."

Harry's shoulders slumped a considerable amount but he nodded as well.

"And you'll never do anything quite so foolish again, correct?"

"Never," Harry shook his head as he brushed the tears off his face with the back of his hand.

"Alright then," Sirius said as he gave his godson an affectionate squeeze before he gently helped the boy off of his lap and stood up himself. "I'll come get you for supper and in the meantime I don't think a nap would be a horrible idea."

Harry nodded as he climbed onto his bed, his eyes already appearing heavy.

Sirius smiled softly as he pulled his wand out of his back pocket and waved it once, causing his godson's room to become dark.

"Hey Sirius," Harry said softly.

"Hmmm?" Sirius asked as he paused at his godson's bedroom door.

"Are you still cross?" Harry asked in a low voice.

Sirius smiled once more as he shook his head. "No…not in the least. It's all behind us."

**TBC...**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Notes: First of all I apologize for taking forever with this update. I was quite sick and then I had midterms but enough with the excuses. I'm going to try and get back on the schedule I was on, updating once a week or more when possible, though I make no promises. Enjoy this chapter and if you didn't already know I've been posting a few short stories so feel free to check them out as well : )**

**Mira**

* * *

"Go ahead and eat," Sirius instructed as he placed the plate of hot eggs in front of his godson before returning to the stove. "Mine will be done in just a moment."

Harry didn't respond but took his fork in his hand and cut a piece of his eggs, taking a small bite.

He watched as his godfather dished his own breakfast onto his plate and then turned off the stove and joined his godson at the table.

"So I wanted to speak with you about today," Sirius said before he began eating.

Harry glanced up at his godfather. A small part of him had been expecting this conversation. After the disastrous morning and afternoon he had had yesterday, the evening had been a hundred times better. Harry had slept for nearly two hours after his punishment and then the two had shared a nice supper and afterwards his godfather had allowed him to have tea before sending him back up to bed.

No words had been spoken about Rita Skeeter, the prank, or the punishment that had followed, which Harry found unusual. He was grateful for the fact that Sirius hadn't brought it up because he hadn't really wanted to think about it anymore but he was a bit shocked that his godfather had said nothing about any further punishment. No grounding, no broom restrictions, nothing. It was unusual to say the very least.

"First of all, I want you to know that as far as you and I are concerned what happened yesterday is in the past," Sirius began. "You made a mistake and you were punished for it and you are forgiven...you know that right?"

Harry nodded quietly. He had done a lot of thinking the night before as he lied in bed, trying to fall asleep. He was sorry for what he had done and he had decided once and for all that this was it. He was done with lying to his godfather and he was done with sneaking around. From now on he was going to be truthful about everything. Not only because he knew Sirius deserved the truth but also because he never, not even if he lived to be as old as Nicholas Flamel, wanted to taste soap again. He thought about proclaiming all this to his godfather but decided against it as he wasn't sure given the recent circumstances, that his words would hold much weight. In any case, actions certainly spoke louder than words and he was determined to prove to Sirius that he would never lie again.

"I also want you to know that Mrs. Weasley stopped by yesterday afternoon."

Harry looked up from his food eyeing his godfather at these words. He had forgotten that he had been under her eye when this whole horrible mess had taken place.

"She was quite concerned about what had happened while she was in charge," Sirius explained, pausing for a moment to take a bite of his breakfast and leaving his godson in horrible suspense as a result. "And so I think it's only right for you to go over there after breakfast and apologize to her." Sirius paused once more to take a sip of his tea. "I think she may have a punishment of her own as well."

Harry's face fell as he immediately opened his mouth to protest.

"And before you complain to me that this isn't fair or that you don't want to do this, please know that while you are welcome to express any feelings you have on this matter it will not change my mind. You are going to the Weasley's and you are going to accept whatever punishment Molly gives you. You lied to her as well Harry and you misbehaved for her."

"Yes Sir," Harry muttered into his breakfast.

"If it makes you feel any better I wouldn't be surprised if Hermione is there as well, nor would I be surprised if Molly has thought up something suitable for all three of you to do together."

His godfather's words hardly made him feel any better. Of course, he obviously wanted to see Ron and Hermione but he hardly wanted to see them under these circumstances. On an occasion or two in the past, Harry had seen Mrs. Weasley angry and he hardly wanted to be on the receiving end of anything she could dish out. Though Harry would never say so to Sirius, his best friend's mum made his godfather seem like a teddy bear when he was angry. At least Sirius rarely yelled.

"So I have to go over there all day?" Harry asked unable to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He had been hoping that if his godfather didn't ban his broom he'd be able to fly some today as he had hardly had time in the past week.

"I doubt you'll be there all day but for a few hours, yes."

"Can I fly when I get home?" Harry asked in a low voice, his eyes downcast. He was prepared for Sirius to say no. For the man to suddenly remember he was going to take his broom away or decide that he should spend the remainder of the day in his room. He was prepared for it…but he still had to ask and a small part of him was still optimistic that his godfather would say yes.

"Flying hmm?"

Harry continued to look down at his half empty plate as he sucked his breath in and chewed lightly on his lower lip. He had been stupid to ask, after everything that had happened of course his godfather wasn't going to let him fly. He'd be lucky if he saw his broom at all before he went back to Hogwarts.

"I suppose you could fly for a bit," Sirius spoke after a moment of silence, "granted you don't get home from the Weasley's too late."

Harry's head snapped up as he gave his godfather a toothy grin. "I can? Really?"

"You can," Sirius smiled. "Really. As I've already said, yesterday is done and over."

"You really are brilliant you know," Harry commented, still with a smile on his face before finishing off the last of his breakfast.

"I'll remind you of that the next time you're in trouble," Sirius returned the smile. "Now upstairs with you…go get ready to go."

Harry pushed himself up from his seat and headed in the direction of the door before pausing for a moment.

"What if I just wrote a letter and apologized?" He asked, turning to face his godfather.

"You could do that," Sirius replied as he began cleaning up the dishes from breakfast.

"I can?"

"Yes, though I don't see the point in writing a letter when you are going to be going over there to apologize in person…but if you want to do both I'll hardly stop you."

"Sirius!" Harry nearly whined his godfather's name.

"You are going Harry James and that is final…now go get ready please."

Sirius' voice was calm but Harry didn't miss the use of his full name which meant that though his godfather wasn't angry, it wouldn't take much more to push him there.

"Okay, I'm going," Harry replied in a soft voice as he continued on the trek towards his bedroom.

* * *

"To think that I trusted the three of you to be mature enough to venture off on your own! Well I can tell you now that I won't be making that same mistake again any time soon!"

Harry moved his thumb slightly as he listened to her lecture continue. The moment he had stepped though the fireplace Mrs. Weasley had asked him, Hermione, and Ron to accompany her into the study where she immediately began scolding them for their actions in Diagon Alley. Hermione looked absolutely apologetic while Ron looked embarrassed at the idea that his mum was telling off his two best friends.

Harry, though he was listening intently to what Mrs. Weasley was saying, was concentrating hard on his thumb which was resting on his lap. He was grateful that although Mrs. Weasley had been scolding them for nearly fifteen minutes now, she hadn't really yelled once. Harry could deal with being scolded, he certainly found himself on the receiving end of it enough to have plenty of experience with it, but he hated being yelled at. When adults yelled at him it reminded him of Uncle Vernon, a fact that only Sirius knew, and Harry suspected that it was the reason his godfather rarely yelled.

"I'm sure you all realize this by now but if the Ministry knew about this you could be in very serious trouble!"

"I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley," Hermione offered in a small voice.

"Sorry."

"Yeah, sorry mum."

Molly sighed loudly as she looked down at the three of them seated in front of her. They undoubtedly looked very remorseful for their actions and she certainly didn't want to overdue her scolding. She wanted them to realize how dangerous what they had done was but she didn't want to bring any of them to tears as a result of it.

"I certainly hope you are," she spoke in a stern voice. "And as for the two of you," she zeroed in on Harry and Hermione. "I sincerely hope your parents impressed on you the consequences of your actions."

Harry nodded quickly, his ears blushing slightly as Mrs. Weasley's words. Yes, Sirius had definitely left an impression yesterday.

"Alright then," she nodded seeming satisfied that they had been thoroughly lectured. "The three of you can retreat to the kitchen. There are several large pots on the table that are in need of a good scrubbing and I think that you three are just perfect for the job."

Harry immediately stood, more than thankful for the scolding to be over and Hermione instantly followed suit.

"But mum you could just do that with magic."

"Shush," Hermione hissed at Ron, clearly amazed that he had the nerve to complain at all.

"I could but I'm not going to Ronald," Mrs. Weasley said sternly. "Now I suggest you follow your friends before I think of several other chores for you to do today."

At these words, Ron literally jumped out of his seat and rushed to follow Harry and Hermione out of the study door.

* * *

"Are you mental?" Harry asked.

The trio had walked into the kitchen to find, as Mrs. Weasley had promised several large pots and after each grabbing one and some cleaning supplies they had begun their punishment in silence.

"Huh?" The red head looked up from his work.

"Saying that to your mum."

"She has us scrubbing away the day like some bloody house elf when she could wave her wand and get this done in two minutes," Ron complained. And then his face brightened for a moment as he looked at Hermione. "You know you could wave your -"

"Absolutely not," Hermione cut him off. "You really are mental if you think for a minute that I'm going to do that."

"And your mum wasn't that bad," Harry said. "She hardly punished us at all. She could have given us a job way worse than this or she could have given us each a separate job."

"I guess," Ron shrugged as he went back to his work.

There was silence between the trio for a moment and then Harry spoke once more, this time in a soft voice.

"Hey guys…I am sorry."

"Sorry?" Hermione questioned, looking up from her work.

"You know, for getting us caught…I shouldn't have let Snape..."

"Oh Harry that's not your fault," Hermione spoke quickly. "We know it's not, don't we Ron?"

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "That greasy git is the one who got us in trouble not you."

"But if I would have blocked him out…"

"No," Hermione shook her head firmly. "We aren't mad at you for anything so don't be sorry…it wasn't your fault."

Harry glanced at Ron who was nodding in agreement.

"Thanks," Harry muttered.

Hermione smiled brightly at this reply, clearly happy that he had given in and seen it her way.

The silence took over again as the three of them cleaned. Though Harry did feel the punishment was fair, he couldn't help but occasionally glance up at the clock. He was hopeful that their job wouldn't take much longer as they were now all on their second pot.

"Why did you keep watching the time?" Hermione asked suddenly.

Harry shrugged as he continued to scrub. "Sirius said I could practice Quidditch when I get home if it isn't too late."

Ron made a face at this, clearly shocked by what his friend had said.

"What?" Harry asked curiously.

"He's letting you fly? Mum won't let me fly for a month for what we did!"

"Oh err yeah," Harry admitted, feeling a pang of guilt at the idea that he could fly and his best mate couldn't. "I'm allowed to fly."

"Sirius is brilliant Harry." Ron replied in a somber voice. "He really is."

"Yeah," Harry nodded in agreement. "I know."

* * *

"Ron thinks you are brilliant you know."

It was late, near eleven at night, and Harry and Sirius were sitting at the kitchen table with their tea and a tray of biscuits.

When Harry had returned from the Weasleys', though it was close to supper time, Sirius had kept his promise and allowed the boy to fly for an hour before eating. And then, much to his godson's delight, he had allowed him to continue flying after dinner as well.

Although Harry had come inside nearly half of an hour prior, his cheeks were still red from the wind and his hair was still a mess. Sirius had thought about sending him up for a bath and bed but decided that after the past two days, tea and staying up a bit later wouldn't hurt.

Sirius knew he had been hard on Harry both with the punishment he had doled out and with sending him to the Weasley household for more punishment and though he knew his godson had earned it, he still couldn't help but feel a bit of uneasiness at having been the one who had to dole it out. That was something he could not change though, and so it found Harry still awake at nearly half after eleven. But that was Sirius' way…if he had to dole out tough love then he was going to spoil just a bit afterwards.

"Does he now?" He chuckled softly.

"Mmhmm," Harry nodded his mouth full of biscuit. "Because you didn't take my broom away."

"Don't talk with food in your mouth," Sirius reminded his godson. "And thank Ron for the assessment for me, but I hardly think he would find me to be brilliant all the time."

Harry shrugged as he swallowed down the food in his mouth with a sip of tea. "I do."

Sirius smiled softly before he spoke, changing the subject abruptly. "How would you feel about a lesson with Remus tomorrow afternoon? He stopped by today and he inquired about it."

Harry nodded smiling, thankful that his lesson would be with Remus and not Snape. He had wanted to ask his godfather if he could stop his lessons with the potions teacher, but he knew what the answer would most likely be. That had kept him from pressing the matter.

"And now I think it's time for you to finish that little bit of tea you have left and head on up for a bath and bed."

"But I'm not tired," Harry replied despite the fact that he was beginning to feel a bit sleepy.

"It's nearly midnight," Sirius pointed out.

"Ten more minutes?"

"Five," his godfather smiled. "And not a second more."

Harry smiled as he took one last biscuit from the plate in the middle of the table.

"You need a haircut," Sirius noted.

"I like it the way it is," Harry replied. "Can't I just leave it for a bit?" He bit into his biscuit with a hopeful look on his face.

"I suppose you can for now but if it gets too long we're going to have to cut it, I can't let you walk around looking like a troll."

"You're hair is long and you don't look like a troll."

Sirius chuckled at these words. "I suppose you are right, but I'm also not a thirteen year old boy. Now finish that biscuit so you can head up to the bath."

"It hasn't been five minutes."

"By the time you are done that and your last sip of tea it will be," Sirius pointed out. "And I want to get to bed myself. There is an Order meeting tomorrow night which may run late and…"

"I can go right?" Harry interrupted.

Sirius nodded. "Yes but as I said it may run late and if it does I hardly want you to be exhausted because you didn't get enough sleep tonight."

Harry nodded as he ate the last of his biscuit, making sure he swallowed it all before he spoke. "You'll come say goodnight after my bath?"

"I always do," Sirius smiled as his godson placed his cup in the sink.

Harry nodded as he headed towards the doorway.

"And make sure you don't leave your dirty cloths on the bathroom floor," Sirius reminded his godson.

Harry paused for a moment, turning on the spot. "You know Ron is right…you really are brilliant Sirius."

"So are you Harry…so are you."

**TBC...**


	26. Chapter 26

**Author's Note: Enjoy the chapter, tell me what you love or hate and in return I'll try and get another one up before the holidays : )**

**Mira**

* * *

"Harry hurry up please!" Sirius hollered the words up the staircase before pausing for a moment to listen. It sounded as if his godson was fighting off no less than a dozen Cornish pixies.

"Coming," came the loud reply.

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his godson's voice before he walked toward the front hall closet, retrieving his own over coat. Sirius slipped it on and then crossed the room to the fireplace, taking a handful of floo powder. Silently, he stood in the living room listening for any sounds of his godson approaching the stairs. Moments ago it sounded as if Harry was going to come crashing through the ceiling and now the boy had gone completely silent.

Sighing to himself, Sirius approached the staircase once more. "Now please."

"Just a minute," his godson hollered back down.

"You have about two minutes to get yourself down here or you're going to spend the afternoon…" The man trailed off as his godson appeared at the top of the staircase.

"I couldn't find my sweatshirt," Harry explained.

His normally unruly hair was, if possible, looking even more unkempt than usual and his cheeks were flushed from his obvious pursuit of his clothing.

"Why wasn't it in your wardrobe where it should have been?" Sirius asked as his godson descended the stairs.

Harry shrugged sheepishly.

"Where exactly did you find it?" Sirius asked, more out of curiosity than anything else.

Harry's face took over a bit of a look of guilt as his feet touched the first level of the house. "Kinda under my bed."

"Kinda?" Sirius questioned with a raised eyebrow.

Harry nodded. "Most of it was under my bed but a bit was sticking out next to my trunk, that's how I found it."

Sirius swallowed a chuckle at these words and forced himself to nod with a somber look on his face. "You're ready to go then?"

Harry nodded as he followed his godfather towards the fireplace.

Sirius stepped inside, his hand positioned to drop the floo powder as he waited for his godson who had stopped just short of the mantel.

"Wait," Harry said suddenly, causing the older man to raise an eyebrow for the second time in a few minutes.

"Remus expected you nearly five minutes ago as it is," Sirius stated. "What is it now?"

Harry looked up at his godfather and for the first time the man noticed the uneasiness in the boy's eyes. His right hand had a tight grip on his wand, while his left fidgeted with the edge of his sweatshirt. It was an unusual stance for his godson, especially when he was headed to his lesson with Remus. Normally he was practically pulling Sirius through the fireplace while complaining that his godfather was moving much too slowly and now here he was stalling like a child being sent to bed early.

"What is it?" Sirius asked once more, this time in a voice much gentler, when his godson did not reply.

"Is he mad?"

Sirius had to strain to hear the barely audible teenage voice, and when he did make out what the boy said, a soft smile overtook his face. Clearly this was a concern that was weighing heavy on his godson that much was obvious from Harry's mannerisms. And it was more than obvious that the boy was referring to the much bigger mischief he had gotten into recently and not the fact that he was late for his lesson. It never ceased to amaze Sirius how much Harry could act like James at times, so quick to run off into trouble but so remorseful and worrisome after the fact.

Sirius stepped away from the fireplace and crouched down in front of his godson, still smiling softly. "Hey," he said quietly, "What did I already tell you about that whole mess?"

Harry shrugged silently.

"That it's over and done with?" Sirius prompted, in a reminding voice.

"Yeah I guess but…"

"I'm sure Remus knows that your misbehavior was taken care of and I'm almost positive that he won't even mention it."

"But is he mad?" Harry asked once more. The tips of his ears were blushing slightly but Sirius guessed that had more to do with Remus' knowledge of the child's punishment than anything else.

"Remus?" Sirius smirked playfully. "His bark is far worse than his bite. I'm sure he's forgotten all about it by now." Sirius knew there was no chance that Remus had forgotten of the incident but he also knew his friend well enough to know that the probability of him mentioning it to Harry was slim to none and he prayed he had convinced his godson of this as well.

Harry's green eyes examined his godfather's face before he nodded, reassured. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

"Excellent work!" Remus' voice rang cheerfully through the classroom as Harry's Patronus successfully fought off the fourth boggart in a row.

Although Harry was eager to move on to a new lesson, Remus was insistent that he perfect the spell he was currently working on before they went any further. Harry was a bit disappointed in this but kept it to himself because Remus was actually quite cheerful and he hadn't mentioned the Rita Skeeter incident at all. He definitely didn't want to ruin that by complaining. Although he didn't have too much experience with Remus being cross at him, he often suspected that the man could give his godfather a run for his money when it came to being the disciplinarian. And after all, what did he really have to complain about? He was in a special lesson of his favorite subject with his favorite teacher learning something that most people didn't learn until they were much older than he was. When he thought about all of that it made complaining a bit hard to do.

"Eat a piece of chocolate," Remus instructed.

Harry picked up a chocolate frog from the desk beside him where Remus had left a small pile of the treats.

Truthfully, Harry was somewhat surprised that he was doing as well as he had been this lesson. Sirius had delivered him promptly and although the man didn't say anything about it, Harry highly suspected the supervised walk to the Defense classroom had to do with the recent mischief he had gotten into. His godfather had spoken to Remus for only a moment, instructing him to send Harry home through the floo when his lesson was completed and then mentioned that he was going to meet with Dumbledore for a brief moment. Despite Harry's best efforts to keep his curiosity at bay, he couldn't help his mind from wandering there throughout his lesson.

"Perhaps that's enough for one day."

Harry made a displeased face though didn't argue.

"I know you don't like to hear that but I don't think you comprehend how much performing this spell can wear you out…not only physically but mentally."

"I feel fine," Harry offered in what he hoped was a convincing voice. "Great even."

"Not to mention your godfather will be irate if I send you home an utter mess after this lesson."

"No he won't," Harry shook his head. "You could just tell him that…."

"I won't need to tell him anything," Remus swiftly cut him off, "because we are done for the day."

"But if…" Harry trailed off as he looked up at Remus. The man had an eyebrow raised and his face looked completely un-amused. "Sorry," he continued in a softer voice, "I just love your lessons and…"

"It's quite alright," Remus interrupted, his normal smile reappearing on his face. "I understand completely, however, I have to insist that we are finished for the day. Not to worry though, I am sure Sirius will allow you to come back in a day or so for another lesson."

"Can we still do these lessons when school starts again?" Harry asked in a hopeful voice.

Remus seemed to consider this for a moment before he answered. "I don't see why not. As long as Sirius approves and it doesn't interfere with your school work."

"It won't," Harry promised quickly.

"I'm sure it won't," Remus smiled warmly. "I'll speak with Sirius about it but for now I think it may be time for you to venture home, it's nearly supper and as I am sure you are aware there is a meeting this evening. Sirius will want you to eat before hand I am sure."

"Will you teach me something new at my next lesson?" Harry asked making no attempt to move even an inch towards the fireplace.

Remus was quiet for a moment, undoubtedly thinking this request over before he nodded once. "I suppose that could be arranged. You do seem to have the spell down and you've certainly proved that you can handle something a bit advanced."

Harry smiled proudly at these words.

"I'll speak with Professor Dumbledore about it," Remus promised. "Now home you go and I'll see you in a few hours."

* * *

"I don't see why that would be a problem. That is as long as you keep up with your classes as well."

"That's what Remus said too," Harry informed his godfather as the two sat down to their dinner.

"Did he now?"

Harry nodded. "And I will…keep up I mean."

"Then your lesson with Remus can continue, as long as he has the time. You have to remember Pup Remus has other classes to teach as well he may not have the time every week to spend on a private lesson with you."

Harry nodded at these words as he silently hoped the same would apply to Snape. He hadn't mentioned the Potions teacher at all since his last lesson and neither had Sirius. Harry was holding out hope that maybe, considering that there were less than two weeks left of summer holiday, that his private lessons with the man were done.

"Speaking of Hogwarts, do your school robes still fit properly?"

Harry made a face as he shrugged in reply. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to have an answer to this question as he hadn't touched the robes all summer.

"We'll have to make sure they do and if they don't we'll have to make sure we get to Diagon Alley later this week…you do have all the books you need correct?"

Harry nodded as a thought occurred to him. "Hey," he changed the subject, "why did you meet with Dumbledore today?"

"To discuss meddlesome children," Sirius replied before taking a bite of his food.

"Sirius!" Harry said in a frustrated voice causing his godfather to chuckle lightly.

The man remained quiet, taking a drink from his pumpkin juice and prompting his godson to speak once more.

"What did you really talk about?"

Sirius raised an eyebrow at the boy before placing his glass back on the table and clearing his throat. "It isn't any of your concern Pup."

"Was it about me?" Harry asked without any hesitation despite his godfather's lack of communication on the subject.

"Not everything I discuss with Dumbledore is about you," Sirius replied before finishing up the last bite of his supper. "Finish up your dinner so we can get going."

"But was it about me this time?"

"Harry," Sirius said the name softly but in an irritated voice; a silent warning that Harry missed completely.

"Because if it was than you should tell me I mean it's only fair Sirius and..."

"Unfortunately for you it is not my job to be fair and if I wanted to share what was discussed at my meeting I would do so," Sirius cut his godson off. His voice, though displeased, was also quite relaxed and yet Harry still felt the tips of his ears blushing furiously. "Now I would appreciate it if you would finish eating so that we may leave."

Harry cleared his throat slightly. "But..." he dared to utter the word.

Sirius now raised both eyebrows as he looked down at his godson. "Do you have a desire to remain home this evening? Because if you do I assure you I can find someone to come look after you while I am gone."

"No Sir," Harry answered quickly shaking his head.

The two sat in silence for a moment, Harry taking another bite of his dinner before speaking once more, this time in a much lower voice, "It was just a question...you don't have to be so cross."

His eyes were downcast as he heard his godfather sigh loudly. He braced himself for another scolding or worse to be sentenced to his room for the evening.

"Look at me please."

Harry's eyes drifted upwards until they met his godfather's grey ones.

"I apologize for losing my patience with you...you're right I didn't have to act so cross."

"It's okay," Harry answered.

Sirius opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something more and than closed it once again, rethinking his actions for a moment before finally speaking. "Finish up your pumpkin juice and then we'll get going."

* * *

"But he wouldn't tell you what it was about?"

Harry shook his head dejectedly.

"Maybe it really wasn't about you," Ginny offered. "Not everything is you know." She spoke the words Sirius' had spoken not even thirty minutes prior.

"There's a way to find out," Fred offered from his position leaning against the open door frame.

"We could find out everything they are talking about," George added.

"You're both mental if you think we should sneak down there," Ron replied to his brothers.

"You hid one from mum didn't you?" Ginny asked with a smile on her face, clearly catching on much faster than her brother. "She thought she got them all but you hid one."

"Did you?" Ron asked in an enthusiastic voice.

"One what?" Harry questioned the room in general.

"Did you really or is this just some kind of joke?"

"Not a joke," Fred shook his head.

"Hid one in dad's study, the last place mum would look," George added.

"One what? Hid one what?" Harry asked once more.

"An extendable ear," Ginny finally answered him. "Mum found out about them earlier this summer and confiscated them all."

"All but the one in my pocket," George added with a grin as he slid off the edge of the dresser he had been perched on.

"If we get caught…" Ron started to talk but Fred cut him off before he could get very far.

"We won't…we'll just drop the ear over the railing."

"We'll keep it in the hall outside of the room they are in," George added.

"And if we hear someone coming," Fred explained.

"We'll pull it back up."

Ron glanced up at Harry, a defeated look on his face. "Well okay…I guess that would work."

The words were hardly out of Ron's mouth before the twins were moving towards the hallway, George already pulling the piece of flesh colored string from his pocket.

Harry hesitated for a moment. He knew that if Sirius knew he was eavesdropping he would be less than happy but still his curiosity pulled him from his spot on the floor, seconds before Ron and Ginny followed suit.

Quietly the five of them huddled in the hallway as George dropped one end of the string over the railing and held the other end out in front of him.

It was silent for a moment and then faintly, as if they were listening through a thick door, Molly Weasley's voice was heard.

"He is just a boy!"

Molly's outburst was met by silence which made Harry wish they had started listening just a few moments prior to when they had.

"I agree with both Sirius and Molly," a female voice spoke moments later.

"With all do respect," Dumbledore's voice rang through the string, "you have not met the boy yet and Harry is quite remarkable Tonks."

"Oh I am sure he is but that does not excuse the fact that he is only thirteen and as Sirius said if he is truly unhappy…"

"Unhappy is an understatement," Sirius cut the woman off in a voice that Harry knew himself to be on the verge of angry. "He dreads it, and I think that given what the future will likely hold for him, it's hardly fair to force him to continue."

Ron gave Harry a confused look at these words but Harry simply shrugged in reply. He knew what he was hoping his godfather was talking about but he figured there wasn't a very good chance that that was the situation.

"As I've explained before there is no one else," Dumbledore said. "If I thought I could give him the time and dedication he deserves I would teach him myself but I simply can't make that promise."

At these words more hope soared through Harry.

"Are they talking about your lessons with Snape?" Ron whispered.

Harry shrugged at the same moment that both Fred and Ginny nodded.

"Of course they are," Ginny said in a hushed voice. "And Sirius sounds furious."

"He isn't going," Sirius spoke firmly, "and I don't care who agrees or disagrees with my decision. When it comes down to it he is my responsibility…my child."

The words sent a shiver of affection through Harry as he smiled softly at the thought of his life with his godfather.

"And I don't give a damn what he means to the Wizarding World or what that bloody scar on his head symbolizes, he hates going and so he won't be anymore and that is final."

**TBC..**


	27. Chapter 27

**Author's Note: Thank you so very much to everyone who reviewed my last chapter. Ya'll really keep me going : ) I hope you all had a happy holiday and that you have a wonderful new year. **

**I am leaving today on vacation and I won't be back until the 7th so I won't be updating until after that. I'm not going to have much time, if any, to write while on vacation but I will be on a plane for about 10 hours each way so I'll most likely write then : ) In the meantime, enjoy this chapter and tell me what you love or hate about it. **

**Mira**

* * *

"He isn't going." Sirius spoke firmly. "And I don't care who agrees or disagrees with my decision. When it comes down to it he is my responsibility...my child."

The words sent a shiver of affection through Harry as he smiled softly at the thought of his life with his godfather.

"And I don't give a damn what he means to the Wizarding World or what that bloody scar on his head symbolizes, he hates going and so he won't be anymore and that is final."

The moment the words were out of Sirius' mouth, the room below them went silence once more.

It was Ginny who heard it first, her eyes widening as she motioned for her brother to pull up the string. At first George looked at her with confusion but then he too heard it...footsteps and they sounded as if they were getting closer with every second. Quickly he whisked the string up as the others began to quietly creep back towards their designated bedroom.

Harry flopped back down on the wooden floor. He couldn't help the smile that was dancing on his face or the feeling of pure delight that had taken over his entire body. His friends were right, Sirius had to have been talking about his lessons with Snape, and he couldn't have been happier about the idea that they were over.

"You look awful pleased," Ginny observed as she too sat down on the floor, her back leaning against the bed.

"Of course he looks pleased," Ron replied as he sat on the bed, nearly kicking Ginny in the head in the process. "Sirius is bloody brilliant. If Snape got me in trouble mum would probably make me go to more lessons to see what else he could find out."

Fred nodded in agreement as a thoughtful look overtook Ginny's face.

"What is it?" George spoke from his position on top of an old chest. "You have that look on your face."

"What look?" Ginny asked in a curious voice.

"The one that looks like mum does when she's just pieced together what mischief we've done."

Ginny's eyes widened at her brother. "I do not look like that!"

"Never mind how you look," Fred intervened. "What did you figure out?"

"Nothing," Ginny replied. "Just an observation really…"

"Well what did you observe?" Ron asked in a curious voice. It was obvious to Harry by his best mate's body language that he was clearly losing his patience. He wanted to know what Ginny was on about and now.

"Snape's not here," Ginny said simply.

"How do you know?" Ron asked. "You weren't down there. You couldn't see in the room."

"Did you hear him?"

"No but I didn't hear dad either," Ron shot back. "You mean to tell me he isn't here?"

"No she's right," Harry spoke. "You heard how Sirius was going off. If Snape was here he would have had a comment for every thing Sirius was saying."

The other boys thought this over quietly for a moment before Fred broke the silence. "We could always sneak down there and…"

"No," Harry cut him off before he could even verbalize his idea. "We'll get caught for sure."

"Mum will probably want to go soon anyway," George added. "We've already been here for ages."

Harry wanted to mention that Sirius had told him the meeting would run late tonight but his mind seemed to be a million miles away. He couldn't help but wonder what it meant that Snape wasn't there. As far as he knew, Snape never missed a meeting. His thoughts went to Sirius' meeting with Dumbledore and how he had been so testy about it. Had it been about Snape?

And then another thought entered his mind…maybe Snape was in trouble for telling Dumbledore about Rita Skeeter. It was a silly thought really. After all, Dumbledore seemed pretty upset with Harry for what they had done to Rita and yet Harry couldn't ignore the fact that the man had also mentioned that Snape wasn't to use his memories against him. And Sirius had been plenty mad but he hadn't really seemed cross at Snape at all…only at Harry and how foolish he had been.

But then would Sirius have even said if he was upset with Snape? Harry honestly couldn't imagine his godfather saying, "What you did was unacceptable and I'm furious with Snape for bringing it to light!" Come to think of it, Sirius hadn't mentioned Snape at all…in days.

"Harry!"

Harry turned his head towards the red head who had snapped him from his thoughts.

"Are you alright?" Ginny asked in a concerned voice. "Ron said your name about four times."

"Yeah...yeah I'm okay."

"I'm gonna go to the loo." Ron stood up and took a step towards the door.

"We aren't supposed to..."

"And what am I supposed to do then?" Ron cut his sister off with a disgusted face. "Wet myself?"

"Well no but maybe if you ask mum..."

"Because she'll be thrilled that he went downstairs and interrupted the meeting to do that," George cut in. "It's easier for him to just go."

Ginny rolled her eyes at her brothers before picking up the book which was lying beside her, clearly tired of listening to what they had to say.

"Come with me," Ron said, as he looked down at Harry.

"Why?" He hoped the word came out as he intended it to and that no one could hear his underlining worry. The last thing he wanted or needed was to get into trouble for wandering around.

"I'm not going to go off without you," Ron answered. "It's your house."

Harry shook his head. "No it isn't."

"It's more yours than mine," Ron reasoned.

Harry had to admit that Ron was right about that and besides Sirius couldn't get mad at them for going to the bathroom, like Ron had said what else were they supposed to do?

Ginny glanced up at Ron and Harry clearing her throat, obviously ready to give her opinion on the situation but on a second thought she rolled her eyes before they drifted back down to her book, evidently changing her mind about speaking.

"On your way if you want to sneak down the stairs and..."

Ron threw his brother an annoyed look causing Fred to trail off before his thoughts were verbalized.

"It was just a suggestion," George noted.

"A bloody stupid one," Ron muttered as he and Harry crept out of the door and into the dark hallway.

"I think the bathroom is down this way," Harry said as he jerked his head towards a long dark hallway.

"Do you have your wand?"

Harry shook his head. It amazed him sometimes how often he and Ron shared the same thought. It would have been perfect had his wand be tucked in his back pocket. He could have performed a_ lumos_ and lit the hall before them. However his wand was back at home, lying carelessly on his bed. Sirius regularly reminded his godson to bring his wand along with him whenever they left the house, but Harry often forgot to when they went to meetings. In all honesty, he didn't really think it was that important. After all, weren't there a dozen adults just a floor below them?

"I guess you don't have yours either?"

Ron shook his head, a defeated look on his face.

The red head stood there for a moment, staring down the long dark hallway. A few minutes passed before Harry rolled his eyes slightly and than walked past Ron down the hall. It always left Harry a bit dumbfounded that his best mate could be scared to walk down a dark hallway, and yet he had dropped down into the Chamber of Secrets without giving it a second thought.

Harry heard Ron make a small whimper sound and seconds later the red head appeared next to him.

"Do you know where it is?"

Harry shook his head though he wasn't sure Ron could even see his movement in the dark hall. "I know as much as you do about this house," he spoke in a soft voice.

As the words escaped his mouth, his thoughts instantaneously went to the many times his godfather had spoken to him about the house and how hazardous the man thought it was. There had been more than one occasion when Sirius had expressed his dissatisfaction with his parent's property and the dodgy stuff he said dwelled within it.

For just a moment the thought almost caused Harry to turn around and walk back to the designated bedroom. It had only been a few days since he had been in trouble and Sirius had been nothing less than cross all day. Still, the thought quickly left his mind as he heard Ron inhale sharply.

"Check it out," Ron said in a loud whisper.

Harry turned quickly to find Ron a few feet behind him, peering into a room.

"Did you find it?"

Ron shook his head as he motioned for Harry to join him.

Sighing loudly, Harry walked back towards where Ron was standing, whispering loudly at his friend. "We're supposed to be looking for the loo you know, not going off on some adventure and…"

Harry trailed off as he stopped next to Ron and got his first glimpse inside of the room and was very obviously once his godfather's bedroom.

"It's Sirius' old room," Ron informed him pointing to a nameplate on the door that had his godfather's name engraved into it.

Harry nodded though he didn't need a nameplate to confirm whose room it was. The room was decorated with Gryffindor banners and the quilt on his bed, though quite worn out, was a maroon color.

Harry took one step forward into the room and laughed softly to himself as he instantly noticed the pictures of bikini-clad muggle girls which were stuck all over the wall. He also immediately noticed the amount of dust sitting on top of the wardrobe and on the posts of the bed…clearly the room had been vacant for a long time.

"Did he ever show you this?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.

Harry shook his head as he turned around and walked past his red headed friend and out of the room completely. "No…and we shouldn't be in here. If he wanted to show us he would."

"Yeah but Harry there could be cool stuff in there," Ron answered as he joined his friend in the hall.

"I don't care, we need to find the loo and get back to where we are supposed to be."

"Okay," Ron agreed in a displeased voice.

Harry didn't care that his voice was disgruntled though. He had signed up for a bathroom trip, not to go gallivanting throughout the entire floor of the house.

"Harry," Ron said in a hushed but alarmed voice.

Harry looked up at his best mate to see the boy looked beyond and above Harry, his eyes wide with worry.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what Ron saw.

Harry held his breath as he closed his eyes tightly for a moment, opening them as he felt something…or rather someone step up behind him.

He said a silent prayer that it was Mr. Weasley or even Remus. True, Remus could be scary sometimes when he was cross, but Sirius had been exhibiting a short fuse all day and Harry had some hope that if it was Remus he could talk the man into keeping this from his godfather.

"What in Merlin's name are you two doing?" Sirius asked in an irate voice, ripping away any hope Harry had.

At his godfather's words Harry quickly turned around to face the man. He knew the tone that his godfather was using, the man was obviously in no mood for nonsense and Harry wasn't going to do anything to annoy him any further.

The light from the tip of Sirius' wand was unusually bright in the dark hall and Harry had to blink several times before his eyes adjusted.

"We were looking for the loo," Ron answered before Harry had a chance to.

"You aren't anywhere near the loo," Sirius replied, his voice still just as angry as ever. "In fact you couldn't be farther from the loo on this floor which leaves me with some difficulty believing that you are telling the truth."

"No Sirius he really is," Harry spoke quickly at his godfather's mention of telling a lie. "We were looking for the loo, we just must have walked in the wrong direction is all…you can ask the twins…or Ginny! Ask Ginny." Harry pleaded with the man.

Sirius was quiet for a moment as his eyes darted between the two boys standing in front of him before he spoke once more. "The loo is at the other end of the hall Ron, just two doors past the bedroom you are usually in, on the right."

"Thanks," Ron replied.

"Why don't you head on to there and than you can go downstairs, you're parents will be waiting for you so they can leave I'm sure."

Ron nodded and gave Harry one last apologetic look before heading off down the hall.

It wasn't until Ron was completely out of sight and Harry heard a door close that clearly belonged to the bathroom that Sirius spoke once more.

"Harry…"

"Can we just talk at home?" Harry asked in a hopeful voice.

Sirius never really yelled, a trait Harry was forever thankful for. Still, he was sure any scolding his godfather did would echo through the tall hallways of the house, not to mention any thing else he might do.

Sirius was silent for a moment causing his godson to silently wish he had just taken the scolding and kept his mouth shut.

"Alright," his godfather finally spoke. "Let's go home."

For a moment Harry wondered what made the man give in to his request but he was hardly going to question it. The moment after Sirius spoke he turned and walked down the hall, towards the staircase and Harry quickly and silently followed suit.

* * *

The second Harry's feet touched his own living room floor he broke his silence, speaking quickly as he tried to convince his godfather that he hadn't done anything wrong.

"We couldn't just come down to the meeting and ask; you would have been cross if I had, and Ron really had to go, and he didn't want to go alone, and so he asked me to go with him, and we were just lost, and we didn't have our wands…" At this confession Sirius raised an eyebrow. "I know you always tell me to bring it," Harry quickly spoke, "but I just forgot and…"

"I believe you," Sirius cut off his godson.

"I promise I'll try and remember from now on and…" Harry trailed off as his godfather's words hit him. "You do?"

Sirius nodded as he walked towards the kitchen, motioning for his godson to follow him. "I should have showed you where the loo was ages ago, and it's hardly your fault that Ron had to go. Had it not been Ron tonight I'm sure it would have happened sooner or later regardless." Sirius paused for a moment as he pointed to Harry's chair, silently asking the boy to sit. He continued speaking the moment Harry's behind made contact with the cushioned wood. "I also don't think you would tell me another lie after the consequences of your last one. You remind me of your father in that sense, though he had to repeat the same lesson twice before he learned not to lie, he still picked up on it much faster than I did."

"So then you aren't mad?" Harry asked.

"I'm not mad," Sirius confirmed, as he took his wand out of his back pocket and quickly heated two cups of tea, something he rarely resorted to using magic for. "If I was you'd be up in bed instead of being down here about to share tea with me," Sirius added when he saw his godson's less than convinced face. "I know I was a bit moody at best today Pup, but honestly, I'm not cross with you in the least."

At these words, at the use of his nickname, Harry felt his body relax a considerable amount.

"I do however want to speak with you about something," Sirius continued as he placed the cup of warm tea in front of his godson before sinking back into the seat across from the boy.

Harry glanced up at his godfather, hoping he looked at least a bit curious. Of course he had a pretty good idea what Sirius was about to say, but the last thing he wanted was for his godfather to realize that.

"I've given this a lot of thought," Sirius spoke after taking his first sip of tea. "First of all, I want you to know that this has little to do with what happened recently. This is not a reward for your poor behavior or choices, however, you cannot hope to be successful in his teachings unless you fully trust him and I have a feeling that will never quite happen. And so your lessons with Snape will be ending effective immediately."

"Is someone else going to teach me Occ…" Harry trailed off as his godfather shook his head.

"The only other person that could teach you well enough is Dumbledore and unfortunately he is far too busy at the moment to dedicate the time needed to your teachings. However, if that changes in the future then yes, he will teach you."

Harry thought this over for a moment, taking a long sip of his tea as he did so.

"I really don't have to go to them anymore?" he finally asked after a moment of silence.

Sirius nodded. "You really don't. I know you don't care for them and honestly Pup I don't care for forcing you to go to them, nor do I like the idea of you going to them once you return to school."

Harry gave his godfather a confused look at these words.

"At least when you are here you come directly home after his lessons and I hear about them," Sirius said, and then took another drink of his tea, offering up no further explanation.

"What do you…"

"Speaking of school," Sirius interrupted, "did you try on your school robes yet?" He successfully changed the subject before he found himself saying anything about Snape that he may regret. He wasn't fond of the man, and he knew his godson saw that, but he hardly thought it right to express all his feelings on the matter. After all, he was still Harry's teacher.

Harry shook his head.

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, try them on please so that if they are too small we can go to Diagon Alley."

Harry nodded in agreement.

"Now off to bed with you," Sirius spoke, "It's far too late, you shouldn't even be up."

"I'm still drinking my tea," Harry replied.

Sirius raised an eyebrow as he sat up a bit straighter and leaned across the table. Peering into his godson's cup, he saw no more than a swallow of tea in the bottom.

"What?" Harry asked when his godfather gave him a pointed look. "It's tea!"

"Drink it you little mongrel," Sirius chuckled softly, "and up to bed with you."

Harry gave a defeated sigh before he picked up his cup and swallowed down the last of his tea. Standing, he carried his cup over to the sink and then headed towards the direction of the stairs.

"You'll come say goodnight right?"

Sirius smiled as he nodded, "Don't I always?"

Harry nodded. It was one of the little things he always took for granted when it came to his godfather. The man always, without fail, whether he was cross or not, made sure to come in and say goodnight, planting a kiss on Harry's forehead when he did. It was something that Harry wasn't quite sure how he felt about. For example, he wouldn't want Ron to know about it; he would almost feel embarrassed if he did, imagine being thirteen and still getting tucked in at night! Still, it was nice and Harry enjoyed it. It was one of the things he missed most when he was off at Hogwarts.

"Unless you're trying to conjure up a spell to turn this kitchen into your bedroom, I suggest you head on upstairs," Sirius spoke pulling Harry from his thoughts.

"One more thing," Harry said, "in case I'm asleep when you come up."

"Okay," Sirius nodded, "One more thing, what is it?"

"Thank you."

Sirius chuckled, "For not going mental I suppose?"

Harry nodded. "That…and for just everything…for letting me have tea with you even though its late and because you're going to come up and say goodnight and buy me new robes tomorrow and…"

"Are you feeling a bit peaky?"

Harry shrugged. "Nope…just thank you."

Sirius smiled softly giving his godson a small wink, "I'll be up in a moment."

Harry nodded before he finally turned and walked out of the room, leaving Sirius sitting at the table smiling widely at the thought of what a wonderful godson he had.

**TBC...**


	28. Chapter 28

**Author's Note: I feel like it's been forever since I updated this…maybe because it has. I think I'm officially back though and already working on the next chapter of this : ) Enjoy it, and as always tell me what you love or hate about it.**

**Mira**

* * *

"Just as I suspected," Sirius said as he observed the boy standing in front of him.

"They aren't that bad."

Sirius gave him a pointed look at these words. "They're nearly to your knee."

Harry looked down at his legs and than back up at his godfather. "Nuh-uh," he argued. "They are hardly that short, they're just a bit above where they should be."

"We're going to get you some new robes," Sirius replied as Harry removed his robe and discarded it onto the couch. "I'm not sending you back to school in clothes that barely fit."

"Okay," Harry agreed in a soft voice. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his godfather making sure he had what he needed, nor did he mind going to Diagon Ally, but shopping for clothes wasn't exactly his idea of a fun afternoon. And with his summer quickly dwindling to an end, the last thing he wanted to do was waste an entire afternoon trying on robes.

He wanted to verbalize his thoughts to his godfather but he was trying extra hard not only to keep himself out of trouble but to be nicer to his godfather. After all, it wasn't all that long ago that he had lived with people who couldn't have cared less if his robes fit or if he even had robes for that matter and he was grateful that he now had a godfather who cared about all of those little things.

Plus, a guilty feeling had moved into his stomach that night before and was refusing to leave. He had made a promise to not only his godfather, but to himself that he would be truthful and he knew he hadn't been.

Listening in on the meeting was one thing. True, it was wrong and Harry knew that but surprisingly that wasn't where his guilt was coming from. The feeling in his stomach, the constant nagging in his head was coming solely from the fact that he had been in his godfather's childhood bedroom.

He wasn't sure why it was bothering him so much after all, it was just a bedroom. Still, Harry couldn't shake the feeling that he should have told Sirius. It had been accidental so it wasn't as if his godfather would have been mad, at least not if he would have told him immediately. Now, Harry wasn't so sure.

"We should probably get you some new pants as well," Sirius spoke as he headed towards the kitchen. "If your robes don't fit properly I'm sure your school pants won't either."

Harry couldn't help the face he made at these words. Shopping for robes was bad enough and now it sounded as if Sirius was going to turn the remainder of the day into shopping for clothes.

"You bought me new pants in the spring remember?" Harry asked as he followed his godfather. "They still fit fine."

"You've tried them on recently?"

There was no denying the doubtfulness in Sirius' voice.

Harry slowly shook his head in defeat as he watched his godfather heat the stove and fix a pot of soup.

"I'll take your silence as a no?" Sirius asked as he pulled his wand out and waved it over the pot, instantly heating the soup.

"Well no I haven't tried them on," Harry admitted as he retrieved two bowls from a cabinet. "But they were still a bit long on me at the end of the year so…"

"So perhaps we can hold off on the pants until Christmas holiday?" Sirius asked with a smile.

"Could we?" Harry asked in a hopeful voice as his godfather dished out their lunch.

"I suppose we could," Sirius smiled. "Or I could completely torture you and make you shop for an entire new wardrobe today."

"Sirius," Harry said the name with a bit of a whine.

"Just robes for today," Sirius promised as the two took their seats at the table. "And if time permits us to, perhaps we could stop in the Quidditch Supply Store, though I doubt you'll argue much about that."

"Can I get a new magazine?" Harry asked before he could stop himself and he instantly felt guilty for doing so. Sirius already did so much for him, too much.

"I think that could be arranged," Sirius smiled warmly. "Now eat up so we can get going."

Harry looked up at his godfather for a moment. He was in a good mood, he had been all morning. Even the previous night, Harry recalled, despite the fact that the meeting had sounded tense, he really had been great.

"I've got to tell you something…something I should have told you last night," the words escaped Harry's mouth before he could stop them.

Sirius raised an eyebrow as he looked up at his godson. The boy looked nervous and Sirius said a silent prayer that his godson wasn't about to tell him that he had lied, that he and Ron were never looking for the loo but were actually just wandering the floors. Sirius had been sure that Harry's last punishment for lying had left an impression on the teenager, but now he wasn't so convinced and the last thing he wanted to do was punish his godson once more for the same infraction.

"Well you didn't ask me not to go mental so I'm assuming it can't be all that bad," Sirius tried to joke in hopes of his godson relaxing just a bit.

"It isn't," Harry agreed. "At least I don't think it is. But I should have told you last night."

Sirius gave his godson a curious look which was met by silence,

Several more long moments of silence passed before Sirius cleared his throat and spoke once more.

"Are you going to tell me now?" He fought hard to keep his voice at a calm level and a neutral tone. After all, Harry did just say that he didn't think it was all that bad so perhaps it really wasn't.

"I was in your old bedroom last night," he said in a small voice. "And I just thought you should know."

"Are you telling me that you lied last night and that you and Ron were wandering around?" As hard as Sirius tried, he couldn't help the sternness that immediately overtook his voice, nor the strict look that washed over his face.

"No," Harry quickly shook his head. "We really were looking for the loo and found your bedroom by accident…I swear that's the truth!"

Sirius was silent for a moment, observing his godson before he nodded. "I believe you…is that all then, you were in my room?" His tone had instantly returned to its normal gentle tone and Harry breathed a soft sigh of relief.

He silently nodded. Of course that wasn't all, he had also eavesdropped on half of the meeting but he wasn't about to confess to that. He felt guilty…not mental. "I just thought you should know," he finally spoke when Sirius made no attempt to do so. "I didn't want to keep it from you."

"I appreciate you telling me," Sirius said steadily. "And you were right, it isn't a big deal. I probably should have shown you some of the house…my bedroom, and the loo as well… before you were spending so much time there but I certainly didn't realize you'd be there as often as you have."

"It's okay," Harry shrugged.

Sirius gave him a small half smile before he reached over and gentle ruffled the boy's hair. "All right, eat up so we can get this robe shopping over with Pup."

* * *

"Yes these should fit just fine."

Sirius smiled brightly at the shopkeeper as the man handed Harry an armful of robes.

"The dressing rooms are just in the back," the man spoke once more. "And do let me know if you need any assistance at all Mr. Potter."

"Thank you, I'm sure we'll be fine," Sirius smiled just as Harry spoke.

"I don't have to try them on."

The shopkeeper looked down at Harry and then back at Sirius.

"Thank you once more for your help, we'll show ourselves to the dressing room."

The man gave Sirius a nod before disappearing.

"Do I have to try them on?" Harry asked as Sirius began walking towards the back of the store. "They're the next size up, they'll obviously fit."

Being that school was starting so soon, the shop was quite busy and though Harry didn't see any of his friends, he did see several people that he recognized as students. He also saw quite a few children who were clearly first years, looking ecstatic at the idea of trying on school robes.

"It won't kill you to try them on," Sirius replied as he pushed open the door to the dressing rooms and stepped aside holding it open to allow Harry to walk through first.

"But I already know they'll fit and I hate trying on clothes," Harry complained as he walked past his godfather.

"Humor me and try on just one please."

He had said please and he had spoken in a kind voice but the expression on his face spoke silent volumes to Harry and so the boy quickly removed his jacket and pulled a robe on over his clothing.

"Hop up there for me," Sirius instructed as he motioned to the small circular platform in the center of the room.

Harry quickly obliged and stood still as he allowed his godfather to scrutinize the new robe.

Finally after several moments of having Harry turn around while he observed Sirius gave his godson the okay to get down.

"Now that certainly wasn't as painful as you imagined was it?" Sirius asked as his godson removed the robe and put his jacket back on.

"I just hate clothes shopping," Harry muttered, slightly embarrassed by the way he had acted.

"And you think I enjoy it?" Sirius asked with a chuckle. "I think I'd rather spend the afternoon in a double Transfiguration class with McGonagall but unfortunately sometimes you have to do things you dislike doing."

Harry smirked silently at his godfather's reference and then cleared his throat before he spoke. "I'm sorry I was acting like a git."

"You weren't in the least," Sirius smiled. "Now let's go pay for these robes and then I suppose we could stop by the Quidditch store before heading home."

Harry nodded in agreement, smiling softly as he followed his godfather out of the dressing room and towards the register.

He stood beside his godfather, observing the store as the man paid and jumped about half a mile when he felt someone touch his arm.

"So sorry Mr. Potter, I certainly didn't mean to frighten you!"

Harry turned his head to see an eccentric looking man standing beside him. He had shoulder length white hair that looked as though it hadn't been brushed in years and ears that were the most peculiar color of yellow.

Harry felt Sirius' hand gently grip his shoulder and as it did, the man instantly took his hand off of Harry's arm.

"Xenophilius Lovegood." The man extended his hand to Sirius, "Editor of the Quibbler."

Harry watched as Sirius shook the man's hand. He racked his brain trying to remember where he had heard of The Quibbler before.

"Sirius Black."

"Of course," Xenophilius smiled widely, "Mr. Potter's godfather."

"Harry," Harry couldn't help but blurt out. "Just Harry…not Mr. Potter."

He squirmed slightly as he felt Sirius poke a finger into his back.

"Oh of course…Harry," Xenophilius tried out the name. "I was walking past and saw you through the window and just felt as though I had to stop in and let you know that I as well as everyone at The Quibbler fully support you."

"Err thanks," Harry muttered.

He was slightly confused as to just what they were supporting him with but he wasn't so sure he wanted to know either. In his opinion, the man standing in front of him was just plain weird.

"After The Daily Prophet printed that horrible article about you, I vowed to stand behind you…."

The man continued to drown on about what The Quibbler was all about but Harry was no longer listening. He hadn't thought much about that article lately and at the mention of it he began to wonder if anyone would mention it once he was back at school.

"At some point, when you are ready to speak about it of course, we would love to interview you Harry."

Harry snapped back to reality as he heard his name.

"I'm sorry what?" He asked, slightly embarrassed that he had been caught not paying attention at all.

"I'm not so sure that's the best idea," Sirius spoke.

"What?" Harry asked once more looking at Sirius, Mr. Lovegood, and than back at Sirius.

"Well of course if you don't feel as though it's for the best," Xenophilius said softly.

"I'm not sure I do," Sirius shook his head. "I'm also not sure that kind of pressure is healthy for…"

"What kind of pressure?" Harry asked cutting off his godfather completely. "What are you talking about Mr. Lovegood?"

"Your doing an interview with The Quibbler, in response to Rita Skeeter's interview."

Harry whipped his head up, giving his godfather an annoyed look. "Why can't I?"

"We'll discuss it later," Sirius replied.

"But Sirius it's a great idea and…"

"What did I just say?" Sirius asked in a stern whisper causing his godson to immediately blush.

"I didn't mean to start any trouble," Xenophilius spoke in a soft voice.

"You haven't," Sirius assured the man. "Harry and I were just leaving though so I'm sorry but you'll have to excuse us."

"Of course," Xenophilius nodded quickly. "I'm sorry to have kept you and Harry if you or your godfather change your mind, speak with my daughter Luna…she is at Hogwarts you know."

At the mention of her, Harry suddenly remembered where he had heard about The Quibbler, he vacantly recalled a girl that resembled the man standing in front of him skipping through the halls of the castle.

"Let's go please Harry."

The sound of his godfather's voice pulled Harry from his thoughts. Sirius had a pointed look on his face clearly requesting that Harry follow him, no questions asked.

Harry looked up at Xenophilius. "It was nice meeting you," he said politely.

"You as well Harry…and Sirius of course."

Sirius gave the man a polite smile before looking back down at Harry.

One look from Sirius was all it took for Harry to quickly take the few necessary steps to be at his godfather's side.

The moment Harry was next to him, Sirius said goodbye to Xenophilius and then quickly turned and headed out of the shop, glancing back just once to be sure Harry was following him.

The two walked in silence down the street. Harry noted that they were walking in the direction of the Quidditch store, so Sirius couldn't be that mad…but then he certainly looked mad. His face was as stern as it had been back in the store when he had scolded Harry and he was walking much quicker than he normally did.

Harry bite his bottom lip, stealing one more final glance at his godfather before he finally spoke. "Don't be cross with me."

He hadn't meant for the request to come out in the demanding voice that it did and for a moment he was sure he had just made everything a hundred times worse.

Sirius remained silent for a moment more and than quietly cleared his throat. "I'm not angry with you though I do wish Mr. Lovegood would have watched what he said in front of you."

"Because he wants me to do an interview?" Harry asked in an exasperated voice. "It might be a good thing Sirius!"

"I told you we'd discuss it at home."

"But if you'll just listen to me for a minute…"

At these words Sirius stopped walking and turned to face his godson. "I said we'd discuss it when we get home and we will Harry, now I am going to ask you to leave it be until then."

Harry didn't miss the look on his godfather's face. He knew the man wasn't joking around.

"Okay," he muttered.

Sirius held Harry's stare for a second more before he nodded. "Okay."

The moment the word left his mouth he turned and began walking once more. "Let's get to the Quidditch Supply Store and get you your magazine before they close for the evening."

* * *

Less than thirty minutes later, the two stepped through the fireplace. Sirius immediately handed Harry the parcel containing his robes.

"Take that up and put it in your trunk please."

"And then we can talk?" Harry asked in a hopeful voice.

Sirius sighed softly before nodding. "And then we can talk."

Harry took the steps to his room two at a time and in less than two minutes he had deposited both the robes and his new magazine in his room and was back in the living room.

"So why can't I…"

"You do realize that you are only just thirteen years old, correct?"

Sirius was sitting in his chair, his eyes fixed on his godson who was standing in the middle of the room.

"Yes but…"

"But nothing," Sirius cut him off. "I'm sorry but I think you are far too young to be doing any sort of interviews on this subject."

"You think I'm too young for everything," Harry replied in a sulking voice.

"I'm sorry you feel that way Harry but this isn't a debate. I've made up my mind, you aren't doing it and that's the end of it. Now if you wish to continue arguing with me you can have your supper alone in your room tonight."

Harry made a face as he flopped down on the couch. "No I don't want that," he muttered.

"Good because I don't either," Sirius replied. The two were silent for a moment and then Sirius spoke once more. "Look Pup…I don't mean to baby you, but I just don't feel it's time for you to be talking to The Quibbler, or anyone for an interview. Perhaps in a year or so we'll re-visit the idea but for now I just have to follow my gut feeling and I hope that one day you can understand that."

**TBC...**


	29. Chapter 29

**Author's Note: I apologize for this chapter being on the shorter side but you have my word that the next one will more than make up for it. Enjoy it and feel free to tell me what you love or hate.**

**Mira**

* * *

"So Sirius really won't let you do it?"

Harry looked up at his best mate who was sitting on the floor across from him and silently shook his head.

They were sitting in their designated bedroom on the second floor at Grimmauld Palace. When he had first arrived, nearly an hour earlier, he was disappointed to learn that Fred and George had opted to spend the night at their friend Lee Jordan's house. He had been really hoping for the chance to hear the meeting that was taking place below them, mostly because he was curious to find out if Snape was in attendance.

"I'm surprised he won't," Ginny spoke up from her spot on the bed. "I would think an article in The Quibbler would only help the whole situation."

"Do you know her?" Harry asked. "Luna Lovegood?"

"I know of her," Ginny nodded. "Hermione knows her better than I do."

"She does?" Ron asked in a disbelieving voice.

Harry's face perked up slightly at the idea that Hermione was friends with Luna.

"Mmhmm, she studied for an Astronomy test with her last year...or maybe it was Charms...either way they studied together last year." Ginny paused for a moment as she eyed up Harry. "You're not thinking of talking to Luna and doing the interview anyway are you?"

"Sirius will bloody murder you," Ron commented as he leaned back against the wall.

Harry was quiet for a moment as he considered his options. Ron was right, Sirius would murder him or at the very least make his bum feel as if it had been murdered.

"No I'm not thinking that," Harry finally answered. "I'm not that thick."

The three of them were silent for a moment and then Harry spoke once more. "I'm thinking that I wish Fred and George were here at least than we would have been able to listen to the meeting again."

"We don't need them for that," Ron smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out an extendable ear.

"You stole from them?" Ginny asked with a shocked look on her face.

"No," Ron made a disgusted face. "I borrowed it from them...you don't steal from family Gin. Besides they'll never miss it, it's not as if they need it when they aren't here do they?"

"If they tell mum you took it she'll..."

"Be just as mad at them," Ron supplied before his sister could finish her thought. "They aren't supposed to have any of them remember? They'd just be getting themselves in trouble if they tell on me."

"It still isn't right and..."

"Well come on then," Harry interrupted her as he stood up. "What are we waiting for?"

Ron immediately followed suit and a moment later the two boys were already a foot from the door.

"We shouldn't do this," Ginny said as she jumped up off the bed.

"Why?" Harry asked. He had stopped in front of the door, his hand already on the knob.

"Because we're pushing our luck. We were lucky we didn't get caught last time! Don't you think it's a bit foolish to do this again?"

Harry thought about Ginny's words for a moment before he shook his head. "No I don't think it's foolish."

"But..."

"If it was you and you knew they were all down there discussing you, you know that you'd want to know what was going on."

Ginny nodded as her face slowly softened, "Alright...let's do this than."

The three of them slowly crept out of the room and towards the staircase, stopping at the railing as Ron dropped the extendable ear over the side.

At first it was silent. So silent that for a moment Harry swore that they had put a silencing charm on the room or that the meeting had ended and somehow they had forgotten about the three of them upstairs. And than out of nowhere he heard Sirius' voice.

"I'm not saying that I don't agree with you...I do, I realize that it is for his own safety. I am merely pointing out that he will not be happy about this."

"Perhaps if he was permitted to go but with set rules and guidelines," Remus spoke softly.

"Rules?" Snape huffed. Harry turned his head looking at Ron...so Snape was there. "The boy can hardly manage to follow rules under normal circumstances much less under special circumstances."

"Now Severus I disagree, I have found Harry to be..."

"Completely arrogant...just as his father was," Snape cut off Dumbledore.

"James was not arrogant and neither is Harry!" Sirius nearly yelled causing Harry to feel a surge of pride towards his godfather rush through his body.

"Perhaps what Severus meant, although he did not state it correctly, is that Harry does not have the best track record for keeping himself out of trouble and therefore it will be easier to detain the boy from going rather than risk his safety and allow him to do so," Dumbledore spoke.

Harry gave his two friends a confused glance but they both shrugged in reply. He racked his brain trying to figure out what they could be talking about. The only thing that came to mind was keeping him from returning to Hogwarts but it couldn't be that. Sirius had said weeks ago that he could go back and had bought him new robes less than twenty four hours ago. There was no way he was going to keep him home.

"He isn't going to like this," Remus muttered so softly that Harry barely heard him.

"And if I let my children do whatever they pleased simply because they wouldn't like it otherwise, they would run amuck," Mrs. Weasley replied.

"I wasn't suggesting that we allow him to do as he pleases," Remus countered. "I was just commenting that he won't be happy with this decision, nor should any of us expect him to be."

"No...he won't like this," Sirius spoke. Harry could hear his godfather's feelings through his tone, the man sounded stressed and although he clearly agreed with the decision he sounded as though he wasn't very happy about it.

"Perhaps if you speak to him as an adult...explain the situation to him," Mr. Weasley suggested.

Harry heard Snape chuckle in a cruel manner. "Speak to him as an adult? That's ridiculous. He is a child and we are the adults, he should be told what to do and made to obey, it shouldn't be a matter of persuading him to do so the consequences of any disobedience should be enough of a deterrent for him."

"I'm sure it seems that raising a child is just that easy Severus," Mrs. Weasley spoke, "but unfortunately it isn't so and you can't always just demand things from your children and scare them into obeying, sometimes you have to explain things to them."

Harry's curiosity was nearly killing him. He wanted more than anything to charge down the stairs and burst into the room demanding to know what they were talking about. His mind wandered for a moment as he tried to imagine what Sirius would say if he did just that.

"Of course Harry won't be thrilled with this decree, but we're all in agreement that his safety is far more important than any teenage meltdown he may display over the news,"

Dumbledore spoke. "And despite the fact that allowing him to participate with a few rules in place does sound tempting, it does not change the fact that Peter Pettigrew is still at large and it is far too dangerous to allow him to partake."

The words were hardly out of Dumbledore's mouth when Ginny's hand clamped down on

Harry's arm. Harry looked up at her, a confused expression splattered across his face.

"Listen," she hissed in a low whisper.

Harry looked at Ron who shrugged in reply. He listened intently but heard nothing.

A moment later, Ginny's hand released its grip on Harry's forearm, her eyes wide with fear as she slowly took a step backwards.

It was at that moment that Harry heard someone clear their throat loudly.

Without thinking, he looked over the railing as Ron quickly pulled up the extendable ear.

There, at the bottom of the staircase, stood a small woman with bright pink hair. She was glaring up at them with a disapproving look on her face.

"I told you," Ginny whispered in a frantic voice. "I told you we were pushing our luck."

The woman started up the staircase as Harry felt the blood drain from his face. His insides began churning as if there were live eels swimming in his stomach. He was done for...Sirius was going to go bloody mental for sure. His broom was probably going to be on the ground until he was of age. Actually he was probably going to be grounded to his room until he left for Hogwarts- unless of course he ended up in St. Mungo's with a broken bum which was highly likely as well.

He took a step away from the stairs as the woman stepped onto the second floor.

"We were just..."

"Shhh," she hushed Ginny in a quiet voice, "Into the bedroom with the three of you."

Harry wasted no time rushing into the bedroom with Ron and Ginny only a step behind him. Once inside, the short woman followed them and closed the door behind her.

"We were just..." Ginny tried once more.

"You were just listening in on the meeting," the woman supplied.

"No we were..."

"Don't make this worse on yourselves by telling a lie," she interrupted Ron.

The three of them exchanged worried glances under her stern glare. She was silent for several moments and then she zeroed in on Harry.

"And just how much of the meeting did you hear Harry?"

For a moment he thought about telling her that they had only just dropped the ear seconds before they were caught but he didn't know who this woman was and he certainly didn't know what she was capable of and so he told the truth. "I guess the past fifteen minutes or so." He paused for a moment before he realized that he still had no idea who this woman was. "Sorry...but who are you?"

"Nymphadora Tonks," she replied, "However I prefer to be called Tonks. Sirius is my second cousin."

Harry felt his heart skip a beat. It wasn't bad enough that they were caught but they had gotten caught by Sirius' cousin.

"So I guess you're going to tell on us?" Ron asked shocking Harry. It like Ron to have the nerve to ask such a blunt question to an adult they barely knew.

Tonks peered down at the three of them as her stern face softened.

"No," she shook her head. "We'll keep this between us."

"Really?" Ginny breathed a sigh of relief.

Tonks nodded with a smile, "Really."

"Thank you," Harry's body instantly relaxed. "Thank you so much."

"No need to thank me, I just don't see the need to get anyone into trouble over a little curiosity…however this is a onetime deal, I don't want to catch you three eavesdropping again."

"Never," Ginny promised in a relieved voice.

"Will you tell us what they're going to keep me from doing?" Harry asked in a pleading voice.

Tonks gave him a sad smile before slowly shaking her head. "I'm sorry Love but I can't do that."

**TBC...**


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note: Enjoy! Feel free to tell me what you love or hate. And expect to see the next chapter sometime next week.**

**Mira**

* * *

Harry sighed as he rolled over onto his stomach. He was supposed to be working on a potions essay that Snape had assigned for the summer holiday. With everything that had taken place at the end of the year, he had completely forgotten about it. Unfortunately Snape hadn't and even more unfortunate for Harry, the man had apparently taken it upon himself to remind Sirius of it.

His godfather had seemed genuinely saddened earlier when he had requested that Harry work quietly on his essay. Harry accounted that to the fact that they probably could have done something much more enjoyable with their day. In reality, they could have already been doing something much more pleasurable as Harry should have finished his essay at least an hour ago, but he had hardly even started it.

His intentions had been good. His parchment was spread out on his desk; a quill was lying beside it and his potions book opened to the appropriate chapter. Nevertheless, other than his name, the parchment was blank.

His mind was just way too full to think about Swelling Solutions.

Three days had passed since the last Order meeting and with less than a week before he was to head back to Hogwarts, Harry was slowly losing his mind. Sirius had yet to say a word about anything he wasn't going to be allowed to do one he returned to school. His silence was sending the boy's curiosity through the roof. On top of that his guilt was beginning to weigh in as well.

He wasn't sure why some things triggered such a guilt-ridden feeling in him, while other things evoked not an ounce of remorse from him. For instance, Sirius had never learnt that they had listened to the meeting the night he and Ron were caught looking for the loo. That fact didn't bother Harry one bit, whereas his previous mischievousness was eating him alive.

He couldn't shake the feeling that regardless of how well he behaved in front of his godfather, he was still being dishonest with the man. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that if it had been anyone other than Tonks who had caught them they would have likely been punished.

A part of him wondered if the constant nagging in his head had to do with the fact that Sirius had been so brilliant the past three days. His godfather had practiced Quidditch with him for hours the day after the meeting and the day after that he had surprised Harry with a trip to Hogsmeade where the man had overspent at both Honeydukes and Zonko's.

Harry's eyes drifted to the box of sugar quills that were sitting on top of his trunk, waiting to be packed for the school year and sighed once more.

At first he had himself convinced that if Sirius would just tell him what they had been talking about in the meeting that then all these feelings would quickly fade away but now he wasn't so sure. Ever since that last time when his godfather had punished him, Harry had been trying extra hard to behave and prove to the man that he was too old to be considered a kid and yet here he was, lying and hiding things once again.

The way he saw it, he had two options. He could either keep his mouth shut, live with his guilt, and wait until Sirius felt that it was time to share with him what they were going to forbid him from doing or he could confess, ask what was going on, and accept whatever punishment his godfather gave him for being a complete and total git. Harry sighed as he rolled back onto his back…he was pretty sure what that punishment would consist of and the last thing he wanted was to end up over his godfather's knee nor did he want to taste soap again.

Still…if it would make the guilty feeling vanish he supposed he could accept the punishment that he was sure his godfather would dish out for this offense. And he knew that once he confessed…once it was dealt with…it was over. That was one thing Harry really loved and appreciated about his godfather - he never brought up past disobedience. Once it was handled it was in the past and they just moved forward.

Even so...this wasn't going to be easy and he wasn't looking forward to it.

Slowly, Harry swung his legs off his bed, his sock clad feet hitting the floor before he pulled himself up to a standing position.

The wretched feeling that had pained his stomach three days earlier had quickly returned and his chest felt heavy with tears he knew would eventually fall.

It always amazed and somewhat perplexed him that he could jump down into the Chamber of Secrets or go off in search of the stone without ever really experiencing much anxiety about it and here he was, walking as slow as humanly possible out of his room. He mentally scolded himself at his lack of Gryffindor bravery when it came to this small task. But that was just it…it wasn't a question of bravery because he wasn't scared of his godfather. Despite the fact that Harry had seen the man quite cross at times, he didn't have any fear of his godfather. With Sirius it was always about disappointing him, it was always about letting him down.

He stepped into the upstairs hallway with every intention of heading downstairs, assuming Sirius was somewhere below him, when he noticed his godfather's bedroom door was cracked open.

He turned on the ball of his foot before sluggishly walking towards his godfather's bedroom. He could feel the lump in his throat forming and he silently reprimanded himself not to dare to cry, especially not before he even had a chance to talk to Sirius.

He paused; carefully looking through the crack that the door being ajar had created. Sirius was lying on his back, his head propped against his pillows, a book in his hands. He looked so relaxed and Harry instantaneously felt guilty for being the person who was about to ruin that. But there was no turning back now.

He leaned against the doorframe, his big toe slowly pushing the door open a bit wider. For a moment he thought his godfather hadn't noticed he was standing there and then Sirius turned back the ear of his book page and placed the book beside him, looking up at his godson.

"Finished your essay?" Sirius inquired.

Harry shook his head quietly as his toe pushed the door open a bit further. He took a step into the room and then leaned back onto the door frame.

"That's surprising, you've been in there for over an hour," Sirius remarked. "I expected you to finish as quickly as you could so we could go for a fly or something along those lines."

Harry's heart sank a little more at his godfather's words, _a fly_…his broom was probably going to be on the ground until he was so old he wouldn't want to fly it any more.

Harry shrugged, remaining silent for a moment more before he spoke in a soft voice. "Can we talk?"

"Of course we can," Sirius replied instantly sitting up a bit straighter and gently patting the space on the bed next to him.

Sirius observed his godson as he crossed the room and climbed onto the bed. Sirius had expected Harry to sit next to him but instead the boy sat nearer to his feet his eyes downcast. It was obvious that Harry was upset about something and when the boy made no effort to speak, he cleared his throat and attempted to break the silence.

"Cheer up Pup, whatever it is can't possibly be that bad."

"It's horrible," Harry admitted in a muted voice.

Sirius' brow furrowed as he sat up a bit straighter yet, even as he gave his godson a questioning look. "I'm sure it isn't in the least."

Sirius tried hard to convince himself of the words he had just spoken. After all, the last time Harry came to him confessing something it had been about his seeing his childhood room and that was hardly that bad at all. Sirius silently prayed this would be a similar situation, one that would be easily handled without any major repercussions.

The past few days of Sirius' life had been spent trying to find the perfect moment to speak to his godson about a very sensitive issue…a sensitive issue that Sirius was sure was going to cause the row of the century between Harry and himself and the last thing he wanted or needed was any added problems with his godson.

He gently poked Harry's foot with his index finger, "Hmmm?"

"You're going to hate me," Harry said in a muffled voice.

"I could never," Sirius answered without hesitation. "You know that Harry James."

His voice wasn't stern, just sincere yet as he looked up at his godfather, the tears welded up in Harry's eyes regardless.

Sirius felt his heart swell as the tears threatened to fall from his godson's eyes.

"Look whatever it is can't possibly be all that horrible," Sirius tried once more. "I love you…you know that Harry and you know you can talk to me about anything, regardless of what it is."

Harry nodded quietly. His mind was racing trying to figure out a way to tell his godfather what he had done. He was getting frustrated with the fact that he was becoming so emotional over it as well, in his opinion only a baby would already be on the verge of tears and all he wanted to do was prove to Sirius that he was anything but. And his damn lack of bravery at the moment wasn't helping his situation either.

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose remaining silent for a moment and then as his hand dropped to his side he spoke once more. "Would it help if I promised not to go mental as you've asked in the past?"

Harry shrugged silently as he brushed the first tear that fell from his eye off his left cheek.

"Whatever it is you have my word that I won't yell…I won't raise my voice in the least, we can talk calmly and rationally about it."

Harry looked up at his godfather. The man was very obviously becoming frustrated with his lack of talking. Still, he found Sirius' words comforting…not that the man ever really yelled at him, but it was still nice to know that he could confess and say what he needed to without being reprimanded the moment the words came out of his mouth.

"When we went to the meeting the other night we had an extendable ear," Harry said in a soft voice the tears now flowing freely from his eyes despite his best efforts to hold them in. "We listened to part of the meeting and I know there is something you aren't going to let me do."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at his godson, now it was his turn to be silent.

"I'm sorry," Harry sobbed a moment later. "I just wanted so badly to know what's going on and Ron had one with him and so we listened but I didn't want to lie to you or hide it from you."

Despite his godfather's promise, Harry's gaze lowered even further while he waited for the scolding to start. And yet, as seconds went by and the man said nothing, the boy found himself glancing up tentatively at him, still sobbing. There was scarcely a trace of anger in the man's expression. Instead, the man patted the spot beside him again before saying softly, "Come here."

Harry wasted no time scurrying across the bed to settle in next to his godfather. At the moment it didn't matter to him if Sirius was furious or not and simply hiding it; he just wanted to be near him.

The second the boy was beside him, Sirius wrapped his arm over his godson's shoulder and pulled the boy towards him placing a kiss on top of his head.

"Shh," Sirius hushed him in a soft voice. "Calm down…breath."

"And I just want you to trust me and think I'm mature and so I'm trying to stay out of trouble and I just messed it all up and…"

"Okay…okay…its okay."

"It's not," Harry argued through his tears.

"It is…you need to calm yourself down and listen to me."

Several moments passed before Sirius felt Harry's breathing regain normality. He waited another minute before speaking to be sure his godson was at least calmer than he had been.

"I want you to listen to me okay?"

Harry nodded, his head now resting on the side of his godfather's chest.

"What you did was wrong. You know better than to eavesdrop, especially on something like an Order meeting." Sirius paused for a moment allowing his godson to speak if he felt the need to do so but when the boy remained silent he continued. "However I can understand your curiosity. I can't imagine how hard it must be to know that there is a very good chance we are discussing something to do with you. I also know that in your opinion I haven't always told you nearly enough."

Sirius paused once more, taking a deep breath before he spoke again.

"You are thirteen and when I was thirteen my biggest concern was how much homework I was going to be assigned each night and perhaps sometimes I forget that you have so much more than that over your head. You are a remarkable kid Pup, and aside from that you're an outstanding young wizard and maybe I don't give you enough credit for that. Perhaps there is a possibility that you could be trusted with a bit more information."

"Really?" Harry asked in a small voice.

Sirius nodded. "Now don't mistake my words…what you did was still wrong but coming in here and owning up to it despite the fact that you knew you'd be in trouble takes a lot of courage and maturity."

"So I am in trouble?"

"Did you expect not to be?"

"No Sir," Harry admitted in a defeated voice. "But I didn't really lie to you...you never asked me about it and…"

Sirius had been inwardly fighting with himself over Harry's punishment from the moment that the teenager had confessed. He knew what his godson expected his punishment to be and honestly Sirius didn't disagree with it. He had deliberately disobeyed a rule that he was well aware of. On the other hand though, Sirius was proud of him for confessing despite the fact that he had clearly gotten away with his misbehavior and he hardly wanted to discourage his godson from doing so in the future.

"Though our definition of telling a lie clearly differs, we'll save that for another time. I think for this particular offense you can spend the remainder of the day in your room, perhaps this time you can actually do the essay Snape assigned."

Harry nodded. The last thing he wanted was to spend the rest of the day in his room but compared to what he had imagined his punishment would be he could hardly complain either.

"Are you going to tell me what I'm not going to be allowed to do?" Harry asked in a hopeful voice.

Sirius sighed softly. "I wasn't trying to keep it from you I was just trying to find the right time to talk to you about it. We've had such a good past few days that I didn't want to ruin it with this." Sirius paused for a moment and then decided that he wasn't going to beat around the bush with this. "As you probably know, at Hogwarts third years can go to Hogsmeade and…"

"Sirius no," Harry practically whined the words, instantly realizing what was forbidden to him.

"I know," Sirius replied, shocking his godson with his agreement. "I understand your disappointment and I'm sure anger at this but I want you to just try and look at this from the Order's point of view…from my point of view. Peter Pettigrew is still out there and after the end of the last school year…"

"But none of that is my fault," Harry interrupted.

"And I realize that Pup, but the decision has already been made and unfortunately it's not going to change, at least not now."

Sirius felt his godson's shoulder sink a considerable amount against his side.

"If something changes I promise you I'll sign your permission slip without a moment of hesitation. But until then I just really feel that it's best for you to stay inside the castle as opposed to down at Hogsmeade where anything could happen."

"But what am I going to do while everyone is at Hogsmeade?" Harry asked in a deflated voice.

"I could speak to Remus," Sirius offered. "Maybe you could have your defense lesson during that time. And **everyone **won't be at Hogsmeade Pup, you'll still have friends around…Ginny can't go yet."

Harry shrugged, "Ron and Hermione can."

"I'm sorry," Sirius offered. "But this isn't up for debate this is just the way it has to be for now."

Harry was silent as he thought about his godfather's words. He was a bit surprised that he hadn't thought of the Hogsmeade trips on his own, he was sure if Hermione had known about all of this she would have figured it out before they had even stopped listening to the meeting.

"I think you should head on to your room now though," Sirius spoke after several moment of silence. "I expect to see that essay done by the time you come down for supper."

"I don't have to eat in my room?" Harry asked in a shocked voice.

"If you finish the essay I suppose I could spring you out for good behavior…at least for dinner," Sirius said with a light chuckle.

Harry smiled softly at his godfather's words.

"No tea time though and make no mistake that the only reason you aren't in more trouble is because you came to me and were honest and as I've told you in the past Pup, you'll never be in as much trouble when you're honest as you will when you are caught in a lie."

Harry nodded quietly.

"Alright, to your room with you," Sirius said giving him a light poke in the side. "I'm going to step out for a moment but I'll come get you when dinner is ready."

"Where are you going?" Harry asked making no attempt to move.

"We'll speak about that over dinner."

"But Sirius…"

"To your room you little mongrel," Sirius cut him off. "Before I decide you need further punishment."

Harry sighed as he rolled off the bed and made his way towards the door. He paused once he reached it. "You promise you'll tell me at dinner?"

"I absolutely promise."

Harry nodded as he turned and headed for his room.

"And Harry?" Sirius spoke causing his godson to pause and turn back to look at him. "You said earlier you want me to trust you?"

Harry nodded silently.

"I would trust you with my life Pup…I need you to know that."

He nodded once more, this time with a smile breaking out across his face.

"Alright now go do that essay before Snape has us both in detention over it," Sirius chuckled.

**TBC...**


	31. Chapter 31

**Author's Note: My apologies for this chapter taking me so long to get up. If you read my tumblr than you know what's been going on, but still it's no excuse and I'll try to get the next one up much quicker. Enjoy! And feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it.**

**Mira**

* * *

Anyone who was paying attention would know that in the past few months Sirius had really thrived in his role as Harry's parental figure. He had helped his godson deal with a horrible tragedy; he had rewarded the teenager for good behavior and unfortunately reprimanded him for less than satisfactory behavior. He had managed to find a comfortable balance between being fair and remaining stern as well as one between being a companion to his godson and being his authority figure as well.

The amazing part of it all was that Sirius had never wanted this. He could remember perfectly his excitement at finding out that James and Lily were expecting, his excitement at being a godfather to the child. Never for a moment had he envied them; never felt for even a second a hint of jealousy at the fact that James was going to be a father. It was just not something he had wanted, and now he couldn't imagine his life any other way. He couldn't imagine being happy any other way. He enjoyed almost every moment of his life with his godson.

_Almost._

There were still those moments that he dreaded - moments that had him wishing with everything that he had in him that James and Lily were alive and well and dealing with all of this while he just showed up weekly bringing nothing but laughter to his godson.

This was one of those moments.

Harry had been in his room for the past three hours while Sirius stepped out of the house and then returned and started supper. Sirius hoped upon hope that when he called his godson down for dinner, Harry would have Snape's essay completed. He hardly wanted a reason to have to be stern with the boy especially considering he was pretty sure Harry was already going to be less than pleased with what he had to say. Every fiber of his being was telling him he had made the right decision and he hoped he was right in trusting himself, regardless of how his godson reacted to the news.

Sirius sighed softly to himself as he flipped the hot ham sandwiches in the pan. They were a favorite of his godson's and he was hoping that this small gesture might help the rest of the evening run a bit smoother. It was a high hope, he knew that, but still he held out for it.

After moving the sandwiches onto plates, Sirius dished up a side of chips as well. He carried the food to the table and after placing them in their normal spots; he leaned his head out into the hall and hollered up the staircase for his godson.

The words had hardly left his mouth when he heard Harry thundering down the staircase, sounding much more like a large troll than a thirteen year old boy who was a bit small for his age.

Sirius smiled to himself; clearly the teenager was pleased with being released from his punishment.

A moment later he appeared in the kitchen, his hair a floppy mess, his eyes still a bit puffy from the crying he had done earlier, and a piece of parchment in his hand.

"So where were you?" The words came out of the boy's mouth before Sirius had a chance to say a word.

"I take it that's your essay?" Sirius asked, motioning towards the parchment in Harry's hand.

Harry nodded as he handed it over to his godfather, taking his seat at the table after he did so.

Sirius took his seat as well, ignoring his supper for a moment as his eyes skimmed over the parchment.

"So where were you?" Harry repeated the same words.

"Eat some of your supper and let me read this please." Sirius' eyes never left the paper as he spoke.

"But Sirius you promised!" Harry replied in a slightly irritated voice.

Sirius' eyes left the essay and locked with his godson's causing a look of guilt to immediately sweep over the teenager.

"Eat your supper and watch it with the cheekiness," Sirius scolded. "I did promise and I have not forgotten that, just let me read this first and then I'll discuss it with you."

"Sorry," Harry offered in a small voice. He looked down at his plate, clearly just realizing that his godfather had prepared one of his favorite meals. A smile swept over his face as he picked up half of his sandwich and took a large bite out of it.

Sirius gave him a small smile before his eyes drifted back down to the essay. A moment later he reached over placing it on the counter.

"Is it okay?"

"I'd say its outstanding work," Sirius replied as he picked up a chip.

Harry made a face. "Snape won't think so, he never does."

"Well perhaps exceeds expectations then," Sirius mused.

Harry shrugged silently. He knew he should care about his grade but the only thing he cared about at the moment was finding out where his godfather had been. He had been in his room since Sirius had sent him there but he knew from the sounds of the floo that his godfather had left the house for over an hour and his curiosity over where he had traveled to had been rapidly building.

"I'm sure you're wondering where I went," Sirius finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity to his godson.

Harry nodded. His hand was holding half of his sandwich with his wrist was resting on his plate. It was clear that his dinner had suddenly become much less interesting.

From Harry's perspective his godfather could really only have been one of two places, visiting either Remus or Dumbledore. Harry had no doubt that one if not both of the men, now knew about his misbehavior and though it was quite embarrassing for him he vowed to himself that he would remain calm while Sirius told him this. He wouldn't lose his temper, especially not after Sirius had been so understanding earlier in the day.

"I went to the Burrow."

The words confused Harry for a moment and then the shock of what his godfather was actually saying washed over him.

"You got them in trouble," Harry accused in a disgusted voice.

"They got themselves into trouble Harry, they had no business listening in on a meeting and they know it." As it usually was, Sirius' voice was calm and collected but Harry could easily see his true feeling in his dark eyes. The man was tired and likely hoping his actions wouldn't cause a row but as Harry thought about Sirius telling on his friends, all his notions about keeping his temper quickly disappeared.

"It's not even fair," Harry said now dropping and abandoning his dinner all together. "You said you weren't mad and..."

"When did I say I wasn't mad?" Sirius interrupted the boy.

Harry's thoughts quickly raced back to earlier in the day as he tried to remember an instance in which his godfather had stated those words, unfortunately he came up short and instead of admitting to that he quickly changed the subject.

"You're supposed to be cool Sirius!" He said in an annoyed voice. "I trusted you, you never rat anyone out!"

Sirius felt a pang of guilt at his godson's words. It was true; he never really went out of his way to get any of the children in trouble, despite what Harry confessed. This time was different though, if he wanted his godson and the others to keep their noses out of the Order's business then a point had to be made.

"If you are expecting to receive an apology you'll be hard pressed to find one," Sirius replied. "Both Ron and Ginny are well aware that what they did was wrong and..."

But Harry had lost all interest in listening to anything his godfather had to say. It had suddenly occurred to him that Sirius hadn't just told on Ron but Ginny had been there as well. The discovery didn't sit well with Harry. He had always had a good relationship with the youngest Weasley, the two of them had always been careful to keep each other's secrets and now that was all ruined because of Sirius and his big mouth.

"They'll never trust me again!" Harry nearly yelled.

"Lower your voice," Sirius instructed evenly.

Harry had instantaneously taken notice that his godfather was quite calm given the circumstances. And although a voice inside his head was pleading with him to listen and lower his voice, he ignored it completely.

"You're being completely unfair," Harry retorted.

He watched as his godfather sighed before running a hand through his long hair. The moments passed slowly before Sirius opened his mouth and replied, "You three know better than to eavesdrop on anything, especially something as important as an Order meeting. Try for just a moment to see this from my point of view Harry, try and –"

"No," Harry cut him off in a loud voice. "I always see things from your point of view and I am sick of it!"

Sirius raised an eyebrow, a formidable look taking over his face, he didn't speak though.

The look spoke volumes to Harry; he knew he was pushing his luck, pushing his godfather to his limit. He knew this wasn't going to end well if he didn't stop now, but still he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Try and see it from my point of view," he argued in a voice that was well above its normal volume. "First you tell me I can't go to Hogsmeade and now you tell me you went and got my friends in trouble."

"They got themselves in trouble," Sirius repeated the words once more, "and the only reason you didn't find yourself in more trouble is because you came to me and confessed."

"And a lot of good that did," Harry replied insolently.

"Watch your cheekiness," Sirius reminded his godson once more.

The man was fighting hard to keep his temper in check. It had been quite a while since his godson had spoken so rudely to him. He was trying to tell himself that Harry had a right to be upset. However, all Sirius could hear was Mr. Potter's voice telling him that while someone had every right to be upset, that didn't mean they had a right to be disrespectful.

"I'm not being cheeky," Harry replied making no attempt to change the tone of his voice. "So stop telling me not to be!"

"Alright that's enough," Sirius said in a low voice. "If you can't behave yourself, you can take your supper and go eat alone in your room."

Normally when Sirius made a statement such as this it would cause Harry to immediately apologize and make a quick promise that his behavior would be stopping, despite the fact that he was usually too late and he was forced to take his punishment regardless. Today, however, he was far too angry to apologize or make any promises. Instead, he pushed his plate towards the center of the table and then stood up so quickly that he nearly knocked his chair over in the process.

"I'm not hungry," he said in a defiant voice as he headed out of the kitchen and towards the stairs.

"Fine, but if you don't eat now you're not eating later tonight," Sirius retorted instantly regretting the words. The last thing he ever wanted to do was refuse his godson food, especially given his past.

Sirius sighed loudly to himself as he heard the teenager stomp up the stairs and then slam his bedroom door shut.

He glanced down at the plate on the table; Harry had hardly touched his supper, taking less than a bite or two at the most. His first instinct was to take the plate up to his godson's room. Regardless of what Harry had said Sirius was sure that the boy was hungry and that he was regretting his words. Still, he couldn't help but think that perhaps it would be wiser to let Harry be alone for a bit.

Sirius would be the first to admit that he understood his godson's anger. He had been surprised earlier when Harry had so easily accepted the news about the Hogsmeade trips and he would be lying if he said that he hadn't expected his godson to put up a bit more of a fight over it sometime in the future. Clearly, the news about the Weasleys' upset Harry as well but Sirius was sure part of his godson's attitude, if not more was stemming from their afternoon talk.

When dealing with his godson, Sirius often tried to put himself in Harry's position and see things from his point of view, as he was often asking his godson to do for him. He couldn't deny that he understood why Harry was upset. Had he been told at thirteen that he was going to be denied trips to Hogsmeade with his mates, he certainly wouldn't have taken it quietly.

Still, he couldn't help but think that he had been more than lenient with his godson over the course of the day and the boy thanked him by being completely disrespectful and then stomping off to his room. It was due to these feelings that a big part of Sirius was fighting his decision to leave Harry alone for a bit, wanting nothing more than to go upstairs and reprimand his godson for his completely atrocious behavior. The only thing stopping him was the thought that given Harry's current state, he was sure the teenager wouldn't hear, let alone listen to, a word he had to say. No, the best move at the moment was to allow Harry some time to cool off and in retrospect, perhaps that time wouldn't harm Sirius either.

* * *

Normally when Harry was banished to his room, or when he went there upset on his own accord, he spent his time lying on his bed debating on how to fix the situation.

Tonight, this was not the case.

Tonight, he had charged into his room and immediately began pacing around.

He was sure he had never felt so angry with Sirius and that thought alone scared him a bit but not enough for him to back down from it. He couldn't believe his godfather could have done something so foolish as to go and tell Mrs. Weasley about what they had done. He was sure that Ron and Ginny would be furious with him and so in turn he planned on being just as furious with Sirius.

Thirty minutes of pacing later, Harry sat on the edge of his bed. His stomach grumbled slightly and his mind instantly went back to the kitchen. Why in Merlin's name he had been foolish enough to say he wasn't hungry?

It was at this moment that Harry began to feel quite sorry for him. After all, here he was in his room where he had been sent practically starving and on top of that his godfather had gotten him in trouble with his friends and was forbidding him from going to Hogsmeade. Yes, he was beginning to feel quite bad for himself indeed.

He flopped back on his bed, his legs hanging over the side and his toes just barely skimming the floor. He said a silent prayer that maybe if he talked to Ron and Ginny before they had a chance to get too angry they might be able to forgive him for this but then he wasn't even sure if he would see them before he was back on the train for Hogwarts. The idea of Sirius allowing him to do anything in the next few days didn't seem very likely.

* * *

Nearly two hours after the door had slammed shut, Sirius knocked lightly on it before pushing it open. As per usual, he found his godson lying on his stomach, the side of his face smushed into his pillow, his glasses discarded on his bedside table.

Harry's eyes immediately drifted to his godfather and then to the plate in his hand as he tried with all his might to keep his stomach from giving away his hunger.

Sirius cleared his throat before he spoke, "I heated your supper back up."

At these words Harry rolled over onto his back and slowly pulled himself into a sitting position. It didn't matter to him how cross he was with his godfather, at the moment his stomach was outweighing any anger he felt.

The moment he was in a sitting position, Sirius handed him the plate and Harry wasted no time taking a large bite out of his sandwich. He watched out of the corner of his eye as his godfather took the two steps to his bedside table where he placed a glass of butterbeer.

Sirius waited several moments until Harry was nearly done eating before he spoke once more. "Have we calmed down enough to speak in a civilized manner?"

Though Harry's mind screamed the word 'no', he wasn't thick enough to answer his godfather in such a manner and so instead he shrugged quietly. He concentrated on what was left of his sandwich, not daring to look in the direction of Sirius.

After a few moments of silence, Harry lifted his head to find his godfather holding out a hand.

"Plate," Sirius spoke the single word.

Harry picked up the small piece of his sandwich that was left and handed the plate to his godfather.

"If you are going to insist on acting like an insolent child then you may go to bed."

Harry's eyes widened as he glanced towards his bedroom window, it was only just after eight at night and still quite bright outside.

"I'll be in later to say goodnight," Sirius spoke once more making no reference to his godson's disbelieving face.

And with that he was gone.

**TBC...**


	32. Chapter 32

**Author's Note: Enjoy! Please tell me what you love or hate about it and I'll try and have the next one up as soon as I can.**

**Mira**

* * *

Sirius walked into the kitchen and dropped a plate so carelessly into the sink that it immediately shattered. Muttering a few choice words that he would never say in his godson's presence, he whipped out his wand and waved it over the sink quickly causing the broken shards of glass to disappear.

Sighing loudly, he crossed the room and was just about to collapse into a chair when he heard the floo roar to life. Sirius' first thought was Harry and he had already mentally decided to tan his godson's backside if he found him standing in the floo or worse if he had already left the house sending Sirius on a wild hunt looking for him.

Sirius practically ran into the living room and though he was shocked by what he found he was also relieved to see Dumbledore standing in front of the fireplace.

"Forgive me for arriving unannounced," Dumbledore spoke in his low voice. "I was going to send a letter ahead of my arrival but the time just got away from me."

"No need for an apology," Sirius replied, his heart slowly regaining composure at the thought that Harry was still in his room where he was supposed to be.

"I was hoping we could have a quick talk," the headmaster spoke. He paused as he glanced around the room. "In private."

"Harry's in his room," Sirius replied. "Can I offer you a drink? I was just about to have some tea myself."

"Excellent," Dumbledore smiled as he followed Sirius into the kitchen.

Once there Sirius waved his wand for a second time that evening, warming up the tea. He watched as Dumbledore waved his own wand, muttering a few words under his breath.

A silencing spell, Sirius thought, smart man.

Moments later, Sirius was sitting at the table across from the Headmaster. A cup of peppermint tea sat in front of him as he waited patiently for Dumbledore to speak.

"I'm sure you're wondering what brought me here so late at night and once more I apologize for barging in unannounced. This news could have waited until tomorrow but I am leaving in the morning, doing a bit of traveling, and I wanted to speak with you myself."

"Its fine," Sirius nodded.

"I was speaking with Severus this evening and he believes that the time has come to move you and Harry out of this house and over to Grimmuald Place."

"And his reasoning behind this?" Sirius couldn't help the harshness in his voice. He had known this moment was coming, but in his opinion it couldn't have come at a worse time. Not only was his godson apparently on a warpath of teenage emotions but he had also confessed only hours earlier that he had recently listened in on an Order meeting. Now the boy was going to have to live where they took place. Not only live there but obey a number of rules involved in living there.

"You're aware he is working for both sides Sirius; thus he is privy to information that we aren't."

"Yes but what information is causing him to think it is a good idea to uproot my godson?"

"Voldemort is getting stronger, it has been a slow process but it is happening and quite a few of his old followers are returning to his side. It is only a matter of time before they decide to take a chance. Hogwarts is safe as is Grimmuald Place and though this house is quite safe also of the three it's the last in line."

Sirius was silent as he digested these words.

"I understand your concern and I hardly wish to uproot Harry either but surely you can see the importance of this."

Sirius nodded slowly. "I do see the importance but I also see the danger in it."

"Grimmuald Place is much safer Sirius, surely you're aware..."

"I'm not speaking of my parents' house. I know it is safe. I know precautions have been taken and dangerous items removed. I am speaking of my godson himself."

"Well yes Harry can be a bit adventurous can't he?" Dumbledore asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Sirius was well aware that if left up to the Headmaster his godson would not only be permitted to run off on every adventure his heart desired, he would likely be encouraged to. Sometimes Sirius wondered if the man forgot just how young Harry was.

"Harry is...he's been a bit moody as of late," Sirius carefully explained. "He was told this afternoon that he won't be permitted to go to Hogsmeade with his classmates."

"And can you blame him for being upset about such a thing?"

"Absolutely not," Sirius answered honestly. "However being upset does not give one a right to be disrespectful." The words left Sirius' mouth before he could stop them.

When possible he often made sure he did not inform the Headmaster of any misbehavior his godson may have displayed. For one, Sirius felt as if it was an invasion of his godson's privacy to share such things. It wasn't so long ago Sirius was the child in trouble and if he had found out that the Headmaster knew about it he would have been mortified. Aside from that, Sirius really just didn't feel it was any of his business.

Now the words had been spoken though.

"Teenagers can be hotheaded," Dumbledore spoke after a moment of silence. "They eventually grow out of it."

Sirius shrugged at these words. He was sure the man was right and that eventually his godson would grow out of it. The question was would either of them survive until then? Or would they end up killing each other first?

"Perhaps a compromise though, if Harry is going to obey the rules and stay out of Hogsmeade without putting up a huge fight, maybe a reward of sorts would be in order."

"Maybe," Sirius agreed.

"Not that you need any parenting advice when it comes to your child. You are excellent with him Sirius," Dumbledore continued when he was met with silence. "He has changed completely since he's been with you and for the better...you should know that."

"Thank you," Sirius replied in a soft voice.

Dumbledore gave the man a soft smile before he pulled himself out of his chair.

"I really must be going now, traveling early tomorrow you know. Thank you so much for the tea."

Sirius nodded. "So when exactly do you want us to move?"

"Harry will be back at Hogwarts in a few days, let him stay here until then and we'll move you after."

"Thank you."

Dumbledore smiled in reply as he headed towards the living room.

"I'll see myself out," he promised as he saw Sirius standing.

Normally Sirius would follow the man regardless, after all it was the polite thing to do but tonight he was far too exhausted and so instead he sat back down listening as the floo roared to life once more.

* * *

The minute hand moved on the clock signifying that the time was now 10:02. Harry rolled over onto his side once more. He had been tossing and turning for the past hour and his mind was still far from tired.

When his godfather had left him in his room, nearly two hours ago, he had sat on his bed in complete shock for a full twenty minutes before he had even bothered moving. When he did finally get up, he slowly changed into his pajamas weighing out his options.

His first thought was to storm downstairs and tell Sirius exactly what he thought of being sent to bed at the same time that a sodding toddler would be but he thought better of it. He was still quite angry with his godfather, but angry or not he knew better than to push his luck. Being mad at Sirius was one thing, going downstairs and screaming at him about it, after he was already being punished, was another altogether.

After he dismissed the idea of going down to give his godfather a piece of his mind, the thought occurred to him that when normally faced with this sort of circumstances he'd go downstairs to apologize, try to fix things, and hope his godfather could forgive him. The realization that he felt so differently this time scared him a bit and for a moment he considered the fact that perhaps he was overreacting. This thought lasted less than a moment before the day's events replayed in his mind; the blow of being denied trips to Hogsmeade with his friends and the thought of Ron and Ginny's reaction when they discovered that Harry had told Sirius what they had done. Less than a second of those thoughts was all it took for all of Harry's anger to come rushing back.

For a moment he actually considered sneaking of to the Burrow so he could speak to the two youngest Weasley's and beg for forgiveness. Earlier that summer when an Occlumency lesson with Snape had revealed what they had done to Rita Skeeter his friends had been quick to forgive and forget, however that really hadn't been his fault. This time was different. This time he had willingly gone and confessed believing that Sirius would never in a million years go to the Burrow and share the information with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. He had gotten them in loads of trouble and he was sure begging for forgiveness would be his only option. He quickly dismissed it as a stupid idea though. For one Sirius would wallop him for sure if he was caught and aside from that it was very likely that Ron and Ginny had been sent to their rooms just as he had. Unlike his own house, the Weasley house was far too crowded to sneak through undetected. Of course he had his cloak but that brought him back to his original thought…his godfather would be livid if he was caught and despite Harry's anger with the man he still didn't want to make Sirius that cross.

Completely out of ideas, Harry had finally given in and just climbed into bed. Sirius had said he would be back to say goodnight and Harry fully planned on being asleep by that time. He was sure their row wasn't over and though he doubted Sirius was just going to forget about it by the morning, Harry still liked the idea of postponing the remainder of it until then. But now, with the clock ticking loudly as the time changed to 10:15 Harry was feeling more awake than ever and he wasn't sure his hope would come true.

There was less than a week until Harry and his friends would be on the train heading to Hogwarts and unlike a year ago when he was sad about returning to the castle and leaving his godfather he almost wished he was leaving in the morning. He was tired of being treated like a baby and as much as he loved Sirius, his annoyance with the whole day was making him wish he was hundreds of miles away in his four post bed in the Gryffindor tower.

He rolled over once more as he contemplated ignoring his godfather altogether until he left for Hogwarts. It wouldn't really be that hard. He could go downstairs to eat his meals and spend the rest of his time locked away in his room. At the rate he was going and the way he was fighting with his godfather that may very well end up being what Sirius sentenced him to anyway.

The clock ticked loudly once more and Harry glanced over at it to see the time was now 10:27, he was going to die of boredom before he fell asleep, he was sure of it.

The room was so quiet aside from the ticking of the clock that when the soft knock rapped on the door, Harry nearly jumped out of his skin. Quickly regaining his composure he closed his eyes just a second before he heard his bedroom door push open.

He felt the lights turn on and then listened intently as he heard Sirius cross the room. There was less than a second of complete silence and then Harry heard his desk chair move across the hardwood floor and his godfather sit in it.

"I know you aren't asleep," Sirius spoke in an even voice.

Harry remained still, his eyes shut tightly.

"We need to discuss a few things and I would appreciate it if you would respect me enough to at least open your eyes and stop this charade while we do."

His voice was calm and placid but even with his eyes closed Harry could hear what was beneath that and he knew his godfather's words had been his final warning.

As slowly as he dared, Harry opened his eyes. He didn't make eye contact with Sirius though instead he was content to focus on the man's feet.

"Thank you," Sirius said.

Harry remained quiet. He wanted nothing more than to yell at his godfather that he wanted respect too but he thought better of it.

"I want to talk about this afternoon," Sirius continued when Harry made no attempt to speak. "If you want to be angry with me that is perfectly fine however, the disrespect you showed me is not. You know better than that."

"Maybe I don't," the words escaped Harry's mouth before he could stop them.

"Stop." He spoke in a dangerously low voice.

It was amazing how one single word could send such a chill through Harry. Sirius was angry, that much was now more than evident and though he only spoke one word, Harry heard a hundred more in his warning.

Harry felt his ears grow warm and he prayed his godfather hadn't noticed just how much the one demand had affected him.

"As I just said the disrespect is going to end now," Sirius continued and Harry instantly noticed how stern his voice had become compared to just minutes ago. "Unless, of course, you'd like to find yourself over my knee tonight? Because as it stands, you are dangerously close to doing so."

Again Harry said nothing. He wasn't even sure he was supposed to have a response for what his godfather had just said and he was thankful for that. He was sure that if he spoke his voice would give him away completely. He could almost feel the tears he knew he would cry if he met the dreaded fate his godfather had just threatened and he was sure that if he could feel them, Sirius would hear them.

"Now do you think you can control yourself or are we going to go with the latter?"

"Yes," Harry spoke in a small voice. He used every ounce of willpower he had in him in hopes of hiding his true feelings.

"Yes what?" There was no mistaking the aggravation in his voice. He had been pushed too far and Harry knew it.

"I can control myself." He hoped his voice sounded much braver than he felt.

"Good." Sirius paused for a moment and Harry used the quiet moment to steal a look at his godfather's face. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting to find but he certainly wasn't pleased by what he did discover. He couldn't remember ever seeing the man look quite as angry as he did now and given Harry's track record that was really saying something. Quickly, his eyes drifted back down to the man's feet, a much safer place to focus his attention.

"Now as I was saying if you want to be angry with me that is fine," Sirius continued. "But I stand by what I said earlier, Ron and Ginny got themselves in trouble."

"No, I got them in trouble," Harry dared to argue.

"You did the right thing by confessing what you three did to me and I'll have you know I did not tell Arthur or Molly that you did so, only that I found out about the misbehavior."

Harry was silent as his godfather's words sunk in. So perhaps it wasn't exactly as he had imagined with Sirius telling the Weasley's their conversation word for word.

His brain screamed at him to say something. To apologize for overreacting and being such a git but his mouth remained closed.

"I also can't help but assume that your poor attitude this evening has to do with more than just the Weasleys," Sirius continued, his voice as stern as ever.

Again Harry remained quiet. His godfather was right of course. It wasn't just the betrayal he felt at Sirius ratting his friends out. That had been the icing on the cake, the final straw after already being disappointed over the Hogsmeade trips.

Sirius watched his godson's face change and knew that he had hit the nail directly on the head. Dumbledore's words still lingered in his head as he cleared his throat before speaking once more.

"The decision stands, I will not be signing your permission slip for Hogsmeade."

Harry instantly opened his mouth and Sirius could practically see the angry words written on his godson's face and so before the teenager had a chance to yell, argue, and inevitably get himself into trouble he beat the boy to it.

"However, after some thought perhaps if I accompanied you to Hogsmeade you would be able to go." Harry instantly noted that Sirius' voice has softened considerably. He still sounded plenty cross but not nearly as angry as he had only moments ago.

Harry considered this for a moment. He knew his godfather was trying to make things right. He understood that this was a compromise. But he could also just picture Malfoy's face when he saw that Sirius was with him.

"I'll look like a baby," Harry said. He was trying hard to keep his voice calm, to pick his words carefully, "with you coming to the castle to walk me down there."

Sirius considered these words for a moment before he spoke once more. "Maybe I could meet you in Hogsmeade…allow you to walk there with your friends and it could look like a coincidence that I just happen to be in Hogsmeade as well."

Harry half shrugged at the idea. He wanted to agree but he just wasn't sure he still wouldn't appear as a complete child to his friends. He imagined being the only one with a parent at Hogsmeade and despite how cool he knew Sirius could be, his stomach still churned at the idea.

"Well you think about it and let me know," Sirius said after he was met by silence. He could understand his godson's hesitating, after all he had been a third year once himself and he would have been miserable with the idea of having to be accompanied by a parent there.

Harry nodded softly, content on remaining silent.

"Is there nothing you want to say to me? Nothing you want to talk about or explain?"

Harry's brain was screaming for him to speak. To explain, calmly this time, why he was so upset about Sirius going to the Burrow, to try and reason with him about the Hogsmeade trips…to apologize for his behavior earlier in the evening.

"No," he said softly.

"Then I'll let you go to sleep," Sirius replied. He stood up and with one hand swung the desk chair back into its usual resting place. Without a moment of hesitation he leaned over and placed a kiss on Harry's forehead before he gently ruffled his godson's unruly hair.

"Sleep well," he said in a soft voice. "And try and wake up in a better mood tomorrow."

Harry made no acknowledgment that he even heard his godfather's words and instead rolled over, burying his face in his pillow.

**TBC...**


	33. Chapter 33

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the kind feedback I've gotten for the last few chapters. Enjoy the chapter and feel free to tell me what you love or hate.**

**Mira**

* * *

Sirius sat alone in the kitchen, an untouched bowl of oatmeal in front of him. He occasionally pushed his spoon around the contents of it but as far as eating went; he had yet to do that. He had hardly slept the night before, his thoughts consumed with the events of the previous day. It wasn't often that he was truly taken aback by his godson's behavior but he had no other words to describe how he was currently feeling. Normally when a row occurred between the two of them, it was settled before the day was done. Unfortunately this time things had been different and Sirius had a horrible gut feeling that they weren't going to get better anytime soon.

Harry had been awake for over an hour now, that much he was certain of. Sirius had heard his godson's feet hit the floor as he rolled out of bed. He had heard the boy walking around his room. He had heard him make a trip to the bathroom. He had yet to see the young teenager though. It was common for Harry to come downstairs moments after he woke, looking for both breakfast and his godfather's company. Though Sirius held out hope that there was some other reason he had yet to see his godson, he couldn't help but feel that the true reason was their row.

Sirius had replayed the words the two of them had exchanged over and over in his head throughout his sleepless night. His opinion never changed. Yes, he could understand Harry's disappointment, sadness, and even anger at the current situation. He sighed softly as he realized he had yet to even tell him about moving.

He could understand the boy feeling a bit betrayed as well, but despite all of that, Sirius still couldn't excuse his godson's complete and total disrespect. And regardless of the stern talking to he had administered and the several hours Harry had spent alone in his room, he couldn't help but feel as if given his behavior his godson had gotten off quite easy as well.

Sirius took one more look at his oatmeal before he stood up and disposed of it, placing the bowl in the sink when he was done. His thoughts took over his mind once more as he tried to weigh out his options for the day. He could easily go upstairs and let his godson know breakfast was ready or even take his breakfast up to him, but then he wasn't sure that would be in the best interest of either of them. For one, Harry certainly didn't deserve his meals delivered to him and for two he was more than aware that breakfast was always available in the morning- he didn't need an invitation for it. For a moment Sirius contemplated leaving the boy in his room to see how long it would take him to emerge on his own, but that didn't seem very clever either. If his godson was still in his room it was obvious he was still in a mood and leaving him to brew wouldn't help the row they were having in the least.

Sighing to himself for the second time in just a few minutes he turned around, shocked to find his godson standing by the kitchen table.

Sirius immediately felt a bit of annoyance as he noticed that the teenager looked quite well rested. Clearly the previous day hadn't impacted Harry in quite the same way.

Sirius wanted to make a remark about his late arrival for breakfast. He considered making a comment about his hope for an improved attitude. But after clearing his throat he found himself giving his godson a small smile instead. "Care for some oatmeal?"

Harry shook his head as he crossed the kitchen removing the bread from the cupboard and then after taking out the jam as well. He crossed the room once more and took his regular seat at the table.

"Just going to have a bit of bread and jam I see," Sirius stated the obvious. "Are you sure you don't want something hot?"

Harry nodded quietly as he bit into a slice of bread.

"Are we not speaking now?" Sirius couldn't help but ask.

Sirius was now leaning against the sink, watching his godson intently but the thirteen year old would barely glance in his direction.

"No," Harry replied after swallowing his mouthful. "I just don't have anything to say."

Sirius didn't miss the attitude in the boy's voice and it took every ounce of self- control he had not to send Harry back to his room that very moment. Instead, and although he knew it was extremely undeserved, he went a different route.

"So I was thinking it would be nice if we visited Diagon Alley this morning. I know you already purchased what you need for Hogwarts but it's a nice day out and getting out of the house might do us both some good."

Harry was silent as he chewed a mouthful of food.

"And in four days you'll be back at Hogwarts, so spending some time together will be nice," Sirius added when he was met by silence.

"Don't I have a lesson with Remus?" Harry asked once he swallowed his food.

"I can easily ask Remus to move it to this afternoon," Sirius offered.

Harry was silent for a moment as he worked up the nerve to shake his head. He knew what his godfather was trying to do; he was trying to fix things. However, as Harry was concerned it was going to take a lot more than a surprise trip to Diagon Alley. Still, he knew that declining Sirius' offer was going to make things even worse. "No," he finally spoke when he was sure his voice wouldn't give away anything he was feeling. "I don't want to go."

As the words escaped Harry's mouth he could literally feel Sirius' eyes boring into the back of his head.

"Let me know when you're ready and I'll escort you to the castle."

The moment the words left Sirius' mouth he pushed himself up off his position of leaning on the sink and walked out of the room.

For a second Harry inwardly cringed at the words his godfather had just spoken. It amazed him how quickly Sirius' tone could go from cheerful to upset. There was no mistaking the sternness in the man's voice but unlike usual it was mixed with something else...disappointment. For just a moment Harry considered following his godfather and trying to fix things, but he quickly pushed that thought out of his mind. Instead he forced himself to think of all his godfather's misdeeds and once again he felt the irritation rise in him.

Harry ate the rest of his breakfast in silence and once he was done he headed for his room. As he walked past the living room in pursuit of the staircase he couldn't help but give his godfather a sideways glance. The man was sitting in his armchair, the morning's Daily Prophet hiding his face.

Harry took the stairs two at a time and once in his room quickly located his trainers finding one under his bed and the other clear across the room by his window. He swiftly laced them up and then picked up his wand from on top of his desk before he headed back downstairs.

Sirius was still hidden behind the paper when Harry walked into the living room.

"I'm ready to go," he announced as he walked over to the fireplace.

Sirius instantly dropped the paper into his lap and then quickly folded it placing it on the coffee table.

A moment later he was next to his godson in the fireplace, a handful of floo powder ready to be dispersed around them.

When they stepped into the castle, Harry immediately began walking at a rapid pace in the direction of Remus' office. It wasn't until he was nearly half way down the hall that he realized his godfather was just a step behind him.

"I can walk myself there," Harry informed the man. He had stopped walking and was now glaring at Sirius who, following his godson's lead, had stilled at well.

"I have to speak with Remus about something before your lesson starts," Sirius replied.

Harry rolled his eyes as he began walking once more.

"Watch yourself Harry," Sirius warned. "It would take very little to cancel this lesson altogether and take you back home."

"I didn't even say anything!" Harry replied in an insolent tone.

They were in front of the Defense classroom now and Harry couldn't help but think that any scolding he was about to receive would likely echo through the entire floor of castle walls.

"Your actions are speaking far louder than your words this morning," Sirius replied in a low voice. He was glaring down at his godson using every ounce of restraint he had not to turn around and march the teenager directly back home.

Harry stood in silence. He wasn't thick enough to answer his godfather how he wanted to and he wasn't sorry enough to apologize so instead he remained silent.

A minute passed. And then another.

"Can I go to my lesson now?" Harry asked in an irritated voice.

And before his godfather could even open his mouth to answer, he pushed the classroom door open.

Remus was sitting behind his desk; a dozen books surrounding him, making it appear as though he was nearly buried in them.

"Hey Remus," Harry greeted the man.

Sirius immediately noticed the cheerfulness in his godson's voice and couldn't help the pang of dejection he felt as a result of it. Clearly Harry's less than satisfactory behavior was reserved for him alone. A part of Sirius was relieved to know that his godson would behave for Remus. The last thing Sirius wanted was a bad report from his mate on Harry's behavior. And yet another part of him felt absolutely livid about the whole situation. For a moment, he seriously contemplated taking Harry home and sending him to his room until he turned of age.

"Hello Harry," Remus smiled warmly. "Sirius."

"I was hoping we could speak for a moment before you started the lesson with Harry," Sirius replied as he headed towards the door leading to his mate's office.

Remus quickly stood up and began following Sirius. "I'll be right with you Harry," Remus offered the boy before stepping into his office and shutting the heavy door behind him.

Harry wasted no time rushing across the room and attempting to listen at the door. He heard absolutely nothing though and after a minute or two of being met by complete stillness he gave up deciding that one of them had put a silencing spell on the room.

The frustration that entered Harry at this realization was enormous. He couldn't picture Remus just randomly deciding to use a silencing spell and so he immediately mentally blamed Sirius for it. It was the last thing he needed...another reason to be angry with his godfather.

He flopped down in a chair sighing loudly as the minutes ticked by. And then just when he was about to knock on the door and tell his godfather to leave already so he could start his lesson, the door opened and Remus emerged.

"I apologize for having kept you waiting," Remus gave Harry a smile as he crossed the room.

For a moment Harry had been curious as to whether his godfather had told Remus about the past day and a half but judging by Remus' cheerful behavior he didn't know anything.

Harry's eyes drifted away from Remus and back towards his office door.

"Sirius used my floo," Remus explained before Harry even had to ask.

Harry nodded in response but his mind was already far from his godfather. "So what are we going to do today? More work with Boggarts?"

"No," Remus shook his head as he perched on the edge of his desk. "I think we'll take a break from them. You were doing quite well last time; we'll revisit them in a few weeks. Today I think we'll try something new."

"Like what?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well despite what anyone else may believe, you know very well that Voldemort has returned and is slowly gaining strength. You also know that these lessons are to help you with your defensive spells in the case that you ever need to defend yourself."

Harry nodded as Remus finished speaking. Yes, he knew all of that though hearing it spoken in such a matter-of-fact sort of way was a bit unnerving.

"You also know that I happen to think that when it comes to defensive spells you are a bit advanced for your age and therefore I think it's only natural that I challenge you a bit. I contemplated teaching you the blasting curse which causes whatever it meets to blast into flames but after careful consideration I decided against it."

"Why?" Harry heard himself ask though he couldn't remember speaking.

"I know you well Harry and though you mirror your father in looks you very much have your mother's head as well as her heart. You could never blast someone into flames, regardless of what they did to you."

Harry couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips as he let this mull over in his mind for a moment before he spoke. "I could blast something into flames though."

"Perhaps but I still think you'd have to be quite desperate to do so and because of that very fact I am going to teach you how to perform a confundus charm instead."

"A confundus charm?" Harry tried the word out.

"The confundus charm causes the victim to become confused, forgetful, they will also follow simple orders without giving them much thought."

Harry was silent as he thought this over.

"The counter spell is quite simple and though it is serious magic, it isn't harmful to the victim. In less of course you order them to torture themselves or something along those lines."

Harry made a disgusted face at the thought.

"Up and wand ready then please," Remus instructed. "Please don't wave it around just yet though; first we'll work on punctuation."

* * *

As it normally did, Remus' lesson put Harry in a delightful mood. He was literally beaming on the inside as he stepped into the floo ready to return home.

It wasn't until his own living room appeared in front of his face that the row he was having with his godfather came crashing down around him, sabotaging any good feelings he had.

The moment his feet left the fireplace and stepped back onto his living room floor, his godfather's voice hollered from the kitchen.

"If you're hungry I've just made lunch."

Harry made a face at the sound of Sirius' voice but headed towards the direction of the kitchen regardless. He was tempted to tell his godfather he wasn't hungry just to avoid sitting and eating with him but he knew that would be stupid at best. His stomach was practically growling at the mention of food and despite the fact that Sirius had brought him his meal last night, he wasn't sure he'd do the same again.

He walked into the kitchen to find his godfather about to take his seat at the table. Two bowls of tomato soup were on the table.

"How did your lesson go?" Sirius asked as Harry took his seat.

Harry shrugged as he sat down, "Fine." He was a bit shocked by his godfather's choice of words. After their last conversation in the castle, Harry had expected to come home to a lecture or at the very least a slight scolding.

"Remus teach you anything interesting?"

Harry shrugged once more as he picked up his spoon and began eating.

Clearing his throat, Sirius tried once more. "Have you given any thought to my offer concerning Hogsmeade?"

A shake of his head followed by another shrug.

Sirius sighed as he set his spoon down. "Is this how it's going to be from now on?"

Another silent shrug. His head was down, concentrating intently on his meal, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

"As I said yesterday Harry, I understand why you're upset with me but…"

"My disrespect won't be tolerated," Harry cut him off in a rude voice.

"No it absolutely won't," Sirius agreed. "The way you have been speaking to me lately is absolutely unacceptable."

"What you did to me is unacceptable," Harry dared to utter under his breath.

"What was that?"Sirius questioned. "I couldn't quite hear you."

"What you did to me is unacceptable! You made me look like a rat to my friends! You are supposed to be my friend Sirius and…"

His voice was rising with each word before Sirius swiftly cut him off.

"That's where you're wrong Harry, I am not your friend I am your parent and there is a huge difference."

"You're being an arse," he said the words in practically a whisper.

Seconds later Sirius was out of his seat. He pulled his godson up and turning him to the side landed a hard smack to his jean clad backside.

Harry mustered up every bit of self-respect he had to keep himself from reacting to the smack. He blinked hard forcing his tears back down.

"Take your lunch and go to your room," Sirius said in a stern voice as he released his grip on his godson.

Harry wanted to yell at the man and tell him he wasn't going anywhere but he knew doing so would only make things ten times worse for him so instead he did as he was told and retreated to his room, his lunch in his hands.

* * *

Two hours after Harry left the kitchen slamming his bedroom door shut behind him, Sirius was still sitting at the table. He had since cleaned up from lunch. He had thought about going upstairs and attempting to talk to his godson but he didn't have the energy to do so. If this was going to be the way things were while Harry was a teenager, Sirius was pretty sure he wasn't going to survive it, and if he did, his godson's bum wasn't going to.

He ran a hand through his hair and then leaned forward, resting his head on his hands, his elbows on the table.

He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear the floo roar to life and when Remus' voice asked him what was wrong he nearly jumped out of his skin.

"So sorry Padfoot, I thought you heard me come through."

Sirius shook his head.

"And I'll ask again…is everything alright? You look dreadful."

"Thanks Moony,"Sirius replied.

"Where's Harry?" Remus asked as he took a seat across from his mate.

"In his room."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "By choice or by force?"

"The latter,"Sirius admitted. "It's been a rough two days around here."

Remus gave Sirius a concerned look. "You didn't mention it earlier."

"I was hoping your lesson would cheer him up," Sirius replied. "That by the time he got home he'd be in a better mood and we could move on from this but apparently that's not the case."

"Is this all over the move?"

Sirius shook his head, "He doesn't even know about that yet. This is all stemming from the decision about Hogsmeade and the fact that I went to the Burrow and told the Weasley's about the recent misbehavior at the meeting."

Remus looked at Sirius with shock. He had heard about the children's misbehavior but he hadn't heard the full story and he certainly would have never suspected that Sirius had been the one to tell Molly and Arthur.

"What?" Sirius asked noticing his friends face.

"Nothing," Remus shook his head. "It's just…you've really become his parent haven't you?"

"I guess I have,"Sirius replied. "I wonder if that's why he hates me, if it's just normal for teenagers to hate their parents."

"Harry does not hate you," Remus spoke after a moment's pause. "It sounds to me as if he is simply acting like a moody child that needs a bit of an attitude adjustment."

"I suppose I could agree with that."

The pair were silent for several moments and then Remus spoke softly. "I can understand his frustration over the Hogsmeade trips, we all knew he'd react like this didn't we?"

Sirius nodded silently.

"Dumbledore should have known better as well," Remus continued. "Every student looks forward to that and to just take it away. Perhaps if you spoke to him and…"

"I'm not going to speak with Dumbledore about it," Sirius interrupted him. "I agree with Dumbledore. As you said, I do understand Harry's frustration over it but this isn't some insignificant thing. It's not as if I'm not allowing him to go simply to be mean or ruin his fun. It has to do with his safety Moony and I will not jeopardize that, not for a handful of treats and a few hours of fun with his mates."

**TBC...**


	34. Chapter 34

**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for your patience with me. I know I said I would get this chapter up a lot quicker than I did. I hope you enjoy it and feel free to tell me what you love or hate. I have a pretty busy week at school coming up but I am going to try to fit some writing in as well. Enjoy!**

**Mira **

* * *

Harry waited a full five minutes after slamming his door shut before he reacted to the smack. He was too afraid Sirius was going to come following behind him at any moment and he wasn't about to give his godfather the satisfaction of seeing him upset. When he finally did react, he didn't cry despite the fact that he had been so close to doing so downstairs, but instead gently rubbed the spot where his godfather's hand had made contact. The smack had been hard, much harder than he was used to, and he couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy at the idea that more could likely follow. Sirius wasn't joking around and Harry knew it. He was actually surprised his godfather had stopped and sent him to his room when he had.

A small voice in the back of his mind screamed at him to go back downstairs and apologize...beg for forgiveness...but despite its pleading, Harry managed to ignore it. He couldn't back down now regardless of how sick he was of being sent to his room or how horrible he felt about what he had just called his godfather. He hadn't meant for the insult to slip out and he certainly hadn't meant for Sirius to hear it.

A lump in his throat formed as he blinked rapidly forcing the tears forming behind his eyes out of existence. His day had been going so nicely while he was at his lesson with Remus and for a moment he wondered why he couldn't have just stayed in a good mood when he got home.

Of course the answer was obvious...Sirius. He was so angry with the man and he was letting his anger take over everything. He still felt his anger towards his godfather was justified however; perhaps calling him an arse was a bit much. Of course he would have this realization when it was far too late to take back his words.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time Remus said goodbye and disappeared through the floo. It had been hours since Harry had been sent to his room. As Sirius climbed the stairs he said a silent prayer that his godson's temper had calmed although given the past two days, he didn't hold out too much hope.

Pausing in front of Harry's door for only a moment Sirius reminded himself to stay tough as this was absolutely no time to go soft. He knocked once and then pushed the door open to find his godson lying on his bed, his cheek squashed into his pillow, his glasses disregarded on his bedside table. Harry was staring quietly out the window.

Crossing the room, Sirius took notice that his godson's eyes were following him. He remained quiet as he grabbed his godson's desk chair with his right hand and swung it out to face Harry. He watched as Harry's eyes drifted downwards as he sat in the chair.

He was sure he didn't imagine his godson's ears slightly blushing though at first he was confused as to why they were. The stupidity of his wondering hit him quickly though. His godson was expecting to be punished. Of course, if Sirius had called his own father an arse he likely would have been caned for it. Had he called Mr. Potter an arse...he shuddered to think of it. Not only would Mr. Potter have tanned his hide, the guilt Sirius would have felt over saying such a thing would have been a punishment far worse than anything anyone else could have dished out. Now with the route he was planning on going he prayed his godson was having a bit of the same feelings.

He supposed that some part of him believed Harry should receive a spanking for his recent behavior but he didn't want to go in that direction…at least not yet.

"I'm only going to say this once so I want you to listen carefully." The words came out of Sirius' mouth in a voice so stern he nearly shocked himself by it.

"Look at me when I am speaking to you."

Harry's eyes instantly snapped up locking in on his godfather's face. He had never heard Sirius' voice this firm.

"I've asked you repeatedly over the past two days to stop with this disrespectful attitude toward me but clearly that was asking too much."

Sirius paused for a moment. There was no mistaking the uneasiness on his godson's face and Sirius couldn't help but feel a bit proud of himself for causing it.

"I foolishly thought you were becoming mature enough to take my warning without the need for any type of punishment but I was clearly wrong about that as well."

"I..."

"No I am talking now," Sirius interrupted his godson before the boy had a chance to utter more than a single word. "You've had your chance to talk and you abused it so now I'm going to talk and you're going to listen. Is that understood?"

Harry nodded silently.

"Since you evidently can't control your behavior you will be spending your time in your room until I think you're attitude has improved enough to permit you to come downstairs. That being said, you will not be accompanying me to the Order meeting tonight. Instead I will find someone to come here and keep an eye on you as you're obviously not mature enough to be left alone."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, feeling nothing but frustrated over what he was just told.

"If I were you, I would keep my mouth shut before I made things even worse on myself."

At his godfather's warning Harry quickly closed his mouth, perhaps the first smart thing he had done in the past two days.

"I'll be up later to bring you your supper and in the meantime I don't want to see you out of this room unless you're heading to or from the bathroom, understood?"

Another silent nod.

In one swift movement Sirius stood and returned the desk chair to its usual resting place. He took several steps towards the door and then paused as he glanced back at his godson. The room remained silent for a moment and then Sirius cleared his throat before he spoke once more.

"Is there anything you wish to say to me?"

Moments ago he had practically attacked his godson for attempting to interrupt him. He had been trying to prevent yet another yelling match but now, as he thought about his actions he decided that perhaps giving Harry the chance to speak might not end horribly. The room returned to its silent state as Harry shook his head.

"Suit yourself," Sirius replied. He took another step towards the door and then on a second thought paused once more. "You have four days until you return to Hogwarts and I had really hoped we could spend them together having fun but that decision is up to you. I'll be up to say goodbye and bring you your supper before I leave for the meeting."

Harry listened as he heard his bedroom door close and then he very slowly rolled over to see for himself that his godfather was gone. A part of him expected to find Sirius still standing there looking absolutely furious. He couldn't help the shock he felt at the fact that he hadn't been punished further for his behavior.

Harry sighed softly to himself as he thought over the words his godfather had just spoken. Not long ago the thought had occurred to Harry himself to stay in his room and avoid his godfather until he left for Hogwarts but now that he was being forced to do so, it didn't feel quite as good as he had imagined it would.

His thoughts went to the Order meeting and though Sirius had mentioned, not once but twice, that he would not be accompanying the man, Harry couldn't help but think that maybe his godfather was bluffing just a little.

After all, Sirius had never left him behind when he attended the meetings. And as much as Harry racked his brain he couldn't imagine who could possibly come and watch him. Every adult they knew would be at the meeting and surely someone wasn't going to miss a meeting to come watch him. The only adults he could think of that he couldn't remember seeing at meetings were random teachers like Professor Flitwick. As hard as he tried, Harry couldn't imagine the tiny Professor sitting downstairs while Sirius was gone. Under normal circumstances Harry supposed that Remus would be called to duty but given the situation he'd obviously be at the meeting before he would miss it to babysit Harry.

Given the recent events, Harry couldn't imagine that Sirius would just leave him home alone and as he thought this over he decided his godfather was bluffing for sure. He determined that Sirius probably expected him to wander downstairs and apologize as he normally did when sentenced to his room and therefore everything would be over long before it was time to leave for the meeting.

Harry couldn't help but feel a little smug with himself as he rolled onto his back and smiled at his ceiling.

* * *

For the remainder of the afternoon the minutes passed like hours to Sirius. After arranging for someone to spend the evening with his godson he settled into his armchair and spent his time reading and re-reading the same few pages of The Daily Prophet until finally it was close enough to supper time to put the paper down. He walked into the kitchen and quietly began preparing a meal.

After living alone for so many years before the boy came along one would think he'd be used to it but that was hardly the case. When Harry was away at Hogwarts, Sirius often longed for his godson's company and the current situation and the silence it was causing was killing him. A huge part of him wanted nothing more than to go back a few days' time and fix this whole horrible ordeal before it even started. The more he thought about it though, the more he wondered if it even was avoidable. Harry's being forbidden to go to Hogsmeade wasn't a debatable subject and regardless of the repercussions it caused, if he could go back and do it all over, Sirius had to admit he still would have gone to the Burrow to speak with Molly and Arthur.

Sirius sighed becoming frustrated with his thoughts.

In the time since Harry had come to live with him, there had never been a period where Sirius didn't enjoy the boys company. Unfortunately, that no longer held true. Despite how he tried to justify his godson's behavior he kept coming back to the same conclusion, Harry was in the wrong and until the teenager decided to change his behavior things were not going to be easy.

Sirius carefully dished the boy's supper onto a plate and then headed out of the kitchen, pausing only for a moment to pick up a bottle of pumpkin juice.

From the moment the words had left his mouth, Sirius had hoped that his godson wouldn't make him go as far as to leave him home with a chaperon. He wondered if the boy had even considered the fact that the Weasley children would likely be at the meeting tonight and that they'd likely guess why Harry was absent.

Sirius paused in front of his godson's door, gently rapping on it with his knuckles before pushing it open. Usually he would wait for some sort of reply but with Harry barely speaking to him, he didn't bother.

His godson was still lying on his bed where he had left him hours earlier, however, some parchment and an abandoned quill on his desk gave away the fact that he hadn't spent the entire day in the same position.

Sirius carried the boy's supper across the room and placed it on his desk. He glanced down at his godson to find the boy focusing on the carpet.

"I'll be leaving shortly," Sirius said.

At these words, Harry's eyes drifted up without his consent to meet his godfather's.

Sirius didn't miss the look on his godson's face. It was a mixture of shock and anger. Clearly, Harry hadn't expected to actually be left behind.

"I'll come in and say goodnight when I return."

At these words Harry's expression changed to pure anger.

"Enjoy your supper," Sirius said as he turned on his heel and headed for the door.

Harry blinked hard as he forced back his tears of disappointment.

* * *

Just over an hour had gone by since Sirius had delivered his supper. Harry's first thought was to ignore the food and let his godfather come home to find it untouched. But the aroma of the roast and potatoes had gotten to him, or rather to his stomach and within minutes he found himself devouring the meal.

He had heard the floo roar to life not once, but twice, in the past thirty minutes though he was still having a hard time grasping the fact that his godfather had left without him and even worse had someone come to watch him as if he were a child.

Harry debated venturing downstairs to see just who was given the job of making sure he stayed out of mischief but he decided against it. After all, surely whoever it was had been made more than aware that he wasn't to leave his room and though Sirius wasn't exactly topping his list of favorite people lately he hardly wanted to go looking for trouble with the man either.

He rolled from his side to his back and stared intently at the ceiling. He felt as if he had hardly left his bed in days and he was just sure that if he got up there would be a permanent indent from his body in his mattress.

His interest with the ceiling subsided as he heard someone climbing the stairs. Harry slowly turned his head towards his bedroom door. His mind raced as he tried to guess who was about to walk in when there was a soft knock.

Likely Remus, he finally decided as he gave a quiet reply.

He quickly tried to decide if Remus being there would be amazing or horrible when the door opened to reveal someone else entirely.

"Heard you've been a bit of a git lately hmm?"

Harry was so shocked by her presence that he ignored her words altogether. In one swift movement, he pulled himself up so that he was now sitting on his bed, his back resting against his headboard.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a shocked voice.

"Keeping an eye on you I suppose," she replied as she crossed the room and took a seat at the end of his bed. "Like I said I hear you've been a bit of a git and I guess being the youngest member of the Order makes me eligible for the job." She paused for a moment, giving Harry a disapproving look. "Though I can't say I'm happy about it, no offense of course."

"Sorry," Harry offered in a small voice.

Tonks shrugged. "So why have you been? Such a git I mean."

"Who said I was being a git?" Harry asked.

"Sirius…he didn't say git mind you, I just sort of gathered that's what he meant. Really he said you've just not quite been yourself… a bit disrespectful."

Harry made a face at these words.

"I told him it was probably just normal teenage moodiness…of course you aren't exactly a normal teenager though are you? I mean being Harry Potter and all."

Harry shrugged at these words.

"He also told me you confessed about listening in on the meeting," the young witch continued causing Harry to blush several shades of red. "So you've got a conscience about you, that's not a bad thing to have."

"I didn't tell him you knew," Harry spoke suddenly wanting her to be very aware of that. "I swear I didn't."

"Of course you didn't," Tonks replied with a small smile. "The Order would have been all over my arse if you had now wouldn't they?"

Harry couldn't help the small smile that appeared at her words.

The two were silent for a moment and then Harry cleared his throat before he spoke.

"I guess you know I can't go to Hogsmeade."

"I do," she nodded. "And I'm sure you know this but it really is for your own safety."

Harry shrugged silently.

"It is," Tonks assured him. "The Order spoke about it and it's just too dangerous to allow you to go alone."

"Sirius offered to go with me," Harry admitted.

"Ah," she nodded with a soft smile. "And I'd bet all my gold you don't like that idea."

"I'll look like a child."

"You are a child Love," Tonks smiled. "And you best enjoy it while you can."

Harry thought these words over for a moment before he spoke once more.

"He went to the Burrow and told on Ron and Ginny."

"I was at the Burrow yesterday picking dropping off an old muggle item my mum found to Arthur and I saw your friends, they seemed to have survived the ordeal," Tonks smiled.

"Yeah but I trusted Sirius not to tell on them."

"Why?"

"Huh?" Harry asked in confusion.

"Why would you trust him like that? You confessed to doing something quite dangerous, why wouldn't he tell Molly and Arthur?"

Harry was silent for several moments before he finally shrugged in reply.

"So you've been acting like a git because Sirius is trying to keep you safe?" Tonks asked in a skeptical voice.

"It sounds dumb when you say it like that," Harry retorted.

"Perhaps because it is a bit," Tonks replied.

Harry shrugged silently.

"I just…" Tonks spoke softly. "I think you should talk to Sirius. Perhaps explain to him why you're so upset."

"I always end up yelling when I try to talk about it."

"Funny we've been talking for the past quarter of an hour and I haven't heard you yell once."

"That's different," Harry shrugged. "You're nice."

"And he isn't?"

Another shrug, "He's angry with me."

"The nice thing about your parent being angry with you is that despite that anger they still love you unconditionally and they'll forgive you."

"I guess," Harry replied in a soft voice.

"I know…besides Love, if you don't talk to him soon you may never see the world outside of this room again," Tonks replied with a smile.

**TBC...**


	35. Chapter 35

**Author's Note: I know I said this week was going to be busy for me (and it is) but somehow I managed to finish this chapter much faster than I expected. Enjoy! Feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it and I'll try and get the next one up soon.**

**Mira**

* * *

Harry sat alone on his bed, deep in thought. After two hours of talking about everything from Harry's current problems to how much of a git Snape was; Tonks had borrowed a Quidditch magazine and gone downstairs reminding Harry that the last thing either of them needed was for Sirius to come home and find them talking and laughing it up.

The young witch had left his room nearly twenty minutes ago, but her words still lingered in Harry's mind.

_Had he really been expecting too much to think Sirius wouldn't tell on Ron and Ginny?_

He thought back to other times he confessed to his godfather rules that both he and his friends had broken. There were very few instances he could remember in which he confessed something to Sirius before they had already been caught but when he had done so he had always made the man promise not to tell. He hadn't done that this time he had just assumed his godfather wouldn't.

He supposed that listening to a meeting was a bit more dangerous than he would like to admit as well. They had all been told numerous times that what was said in meetings was not for their ears. He had asked Sirius plenty of times if he could go to a meeting, and even though his godfather always took it as a joke that he even asked and answered in a humorous way, there was still some truth behind his humor…Order meetings were off limits. After all, hadn't he felt guilty enough about listening to confess in the first place? That alone spoke volumes about just how wrong what they had done was.

Then there was the whole Hogsmeade issue. Harry sighed to himself as he thought about all of his friends escaping the castle for a fun-filled day in the village while he was forced to stay behind. Tonks, like Sirius, had been quick to point out that it was for his own safety. Harry made a face as he thought of the words, he was so sick of hearing that things were done for his own safety.

His mind traveled to earlier that day. He had called Sirius an arse. He winced slightly as he recalled the moment. For a second he tried to imagine what would have happened if he had ever called his Uncle Vernon an arse and shuddered to think of the repercussions of such a thing. He would have been locked under the stairs for days while Aunt Petunia made delicious smelling foods for dinner and gave Harry scraps that were barely fit for an animal.

Harry chewed softly on his lower lip as he thought about his godfather's reaction to the same scenario. He had received a smack, yes, but he couldn't turn off the voice in his mind that screamed at him that he deserved it. And he had been sent to his room…for what very well could be days. Sirius had brought him food though, and mouth -watering meals at that. Sirius kept checking on him as well and if Harry was honest with himself, he had to admit, that Sirius had practically given him the floor to apologize and maybe even talk about how he was feeling and he had ignored it completely.

Once more his thoughts went back to his Uncle Vernon and his life at Number 4 Privet Drive. The realization hit him that the situation that was going on now between him and Sirius would never occur with the Dursley's. His Uncle Vernon would have signed his permission slip and if he didn't it would hardly be because he was concerned for his safety. The Dursley's would have never been concerned with his safety. They didn't care enough to keep him safe.

He sighed softly to himself. Tonks had said he was mad at Sirius for trying to keep him safe. It sounded so dumb when it was worded like that but that was what it really came down to wasn't it? Sirius was trying to keep him safe and in return he was being a brat.

A feeling of dread filled him as he tried to figure out how this situation could be resolved. He had never had a row with his godfather last quite this long. He had never treated the man quite this horribly either. And Sirius was angry. Harry thought about how stern he had been earlier in the day and winced slightly. Fixing things was going to be hard enough without his godfather wanting to wallop him into next week before he even spoke. He actually couldn't fathom how he would even find the words to speak with Sirius already so cross.

* * *

It was near ten o'clock when Sirius stepped out of the fireplace and back into his own living room. Tonks was sitting in his armchair, her face buried in a magazine however, she jumped up the moment she saw him.

"How was he?" Sirius asked though he knew the answer. After seeing his godson with Remus it had become obvious that Harry's attitude was reserved for his godfather alone and therefore Sirius was confident that Harry had behaved perfectly for the young witch.

"Fine," Tonks answered with a smile. "He never even asked to leave his room." She made sure to point out Harry's acceptance of his punishment as Sirius had warned her before he left that the boy may very well ask to come downstairs throughout the evening.

"I hope you weren't up there all evening entertaining him. He's being punished."

"I wasn't at all," she answered with a hint of defensiveness in her tone. "I was up there once to let him know I was here and borrow something to read." She handed the Quidditch magazine she had been holding over to Sirius.

"I'm sorry," Sirius said. "I'm sure you weren't and I didn't mean to accuse you of anything. Thank you for staying here with him, I know you would have rather had been at the meeting."

"Did I miss anything important?" Tonks asked, the mention of the meeting suddenly reminding her of what her evening should have consisted of.

"I believe Kingsley is going to visit you shortly to fill you in on anything you missed. Honestly he'll probably do a far better job than I could…my mind was hardly where it should have been for the majority of the night."

Tonks gave him an encouraging smile as she took a step towards the fireplace and picked up a handful of floo powder. "You have a great kid up there."

Sirius opened his mouth to reply but she quickly cut him off.

"And I know he's been a bit of a handful lately but just try talking to him."

"I have tried," Sirius replied in a tired voice.

"Well then try again," she answered in a snippy voice, "and do it gently. You don't have to be so damn stern all the time to obtain respect."

Sirius opened his mouth, ready to tell her exactly what he thought of her advice, but before he could get a word out, she was gone.

Sirius stood silently in the room for a full five minutes thinking about what his cousin had just said.

_Was he really stern all the time? And had Harry said that to her or had she just come to that conclusion all on her own?_

Slowly, Sirius turned and began climbing the stairs. Only silence came from the floor above him. The silence didn't surprise him though. In the past few days his godson was silent all the time and when he wasn't, he was arguing. Sirius had almost come to enjoy the silence or at the very least found it to be the lesser of the two evils.

Alone in the hallway outside of his godson's bedroom he found himself leaning back against the wall. He had never felt quite as frustrated with his godson as he had recently. Of course, there were moments in the past, the Chamber incident for example, where Sirius had been more than a little annoyed with his godson's knack for ignoring every warning he had been given. However, Harry had been apologetic. He had always admitted he was wrong, usually with tears accompanying his confession. This time was so very different.

A feeling of guilt overcame Sirius as he wondered if there was some truth in the words Tonks had spoken. Had he been so overly stern with his godson that the teenager was afraid to talk to him? Sirius thought back to the very few conversations he had had with his godson since this whole mess started and decided that no, he hadn't been too stern. Perhaps he was earlier before he had left for the meeting but less than twenty four hours ago he was offering to take the child to Hogsmeade. He also couldn't shake the feeling that although he may have been a bit strict, all things considered, Harry had gotten off fairly easy given his behavior.

Sirius ran his left hand through his long hair before he pushed himself up off the wall. He took the two small steps to his godson's door and then raised a hand and knocked once before grasping the doorknob and letting himself in.

He wasn't surprised to find his godson under his covers, his head resting on his pillow. Normally after a meeting the two would have their evening tea before Harry was sent up to bed. However, since it had been obvious that would not be happening, it appeared his godson had just opted to go to bed instead. After taking a moment to survey his breathing though, Sirius realized he wasn't sleeping at all.

Tonks' words rang through his mind once more as he pulled his godson's desk chair out and deposited himself into it. Normally when he had to speak to his godson about his behavior or anything he ranked as important he had a plan or at least an inkling of what he wanted to say…tonight he hadn't the slightest.

Harry's eyes were shut tightly- a bit too tightly for someone who was supposed to be asleep. Sirius swallowed a chuckle at his godson's amateur attempt at faking sleep. He couldn't help but think that James was just at poor at acting.

For a moment Sirius considered going to bed himself and putting off this whole talk until the morning but he knew that wouldn't be for the best and so before he could stop himself, he spoke.

"I know you aren't asleep."

Harry remained still, his eyes still shut tightly.

"And I would appreciate it if you'd open your eyes and stop pretending," Sirius spoke once more. "There are some things we need to discuss."

Harry immediately took note that although his godfather still sounded a bit firm he didn't sound near as cross as he had earlier in the day.

Slowly Harry opened his eyes to find Sirius sitting in his desk chair. Seeing his face only further convinced Harry that his godfather had calmed considerably. The man was sitting back in the chair looking relaxed and not as if he was about to lecture him, or worse, pull him over his knee at any given moment.

"Can you sit up please?"

Harry didn't respond but pulled himself into a sitting position, bringing his knees up to his chest as he leaned back against his bed's headboard.

"I'm tired," Sirius spoke once the boy was sitting.

Harry gave his godfather a questioning look.

"I'm tired of this silent treatment you've adopted. I'm tired of the attitude that replaces it when you do speak. And I'm tired of this row we're having."

Harry remained silent. He'd have liked to reply that he was tired too but he wasn't sure speaking would be a smart thing for him to do. He was too afraid he'd have an attitude or worse that he'd end up doing something completely childish like crying.

"And if I had to guess I'd say you're tired as well…maybe tired of spending all your time in your room?" Sirius was fighting hard to keep his voice at a calm neutral tone, but the lack of response he was getting from his godson wasn't helping.

"Maybe tired of this row as well?" Sirius tried in a hopeful voice.

Harry was still for a moment before he gave a silent nod.

"So than perhaps it's time we work on fixing this?" Sirius asked.

"Okay," Harry agreed in a soft voice.

"I want to apologize to you for going to the Burrow," Sirius said after clearing his throat.

Harry couldn't help the look of shock that overcame his face.

"I've never done that in the past and I can understand how my doing so likely shocked and upset you." Sirius paused for a moment before speaking once more. "Don't mistake my words…I should have warned you I was going to speak with Molly and Arthur before I went. I do not regret telling them though."

Harry was silent as he thought about what his godfather had just said. If he had known before Sirius had gone would it have changed his feelings at all? Would he have felt less betrayed? He wasn't entirely certain.

"All three of you know perfectly well that Order meetings are not a game, and your listening in on one was quite a dangerous rule to break. If something were to go wrong during one of those meetings…or if you were to overhear something and get some adventurous idea in your head…" Sirius trailed off. He shook his head quickly before finishing his thought. "It's could be very dangerous Harry and when such an important rule is broken, the Weasleys have a right to know."

"I hate that I told on my friends," Harry spoke in a soft voice. "I hate that they got caught because of me."

"As I said before I never told the Weasleys that you told me but simply that I found out. Whether you choose to tell your friends is your decision," Sirius explained. "I will say though that I saw both Ron and Ginny this evening and they seemed perfectly fine. Hermione was with them as well so obviously Arthur and Molly weren't so upset that they didn't allow her to stay for the last few days before returning to school."

Harry's shoulders slumped at the mention of Hermione. Why hadn't he shut up before Sirius had gone to the meeting without him?

"Can I go to the Burrow and see them?" Harry asked before he could stop himself. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"How about we talk about that tomorrow," Sirius asked, "and concentrate on fixing things with us first?"

Harry wanted to argue that he hadn't seen Hermione in weeks and that if he wanted to go visit her he should be allowed to but instead he bit his tongue and nodded silently.

"Let's discuss Hogsmeade."

"It's not fair," Harry spoke once more before he could stop himself. "I know you're trying to keep me safe," he quickly backtracked when he saw his godfather's tired face. "But what if it was you? You would hate it and you know it!" He fought hard to keep his voice at a low level with no traces of an attitude.

"You're right," Sirius agreed. "I would have hated it and I would probably have reacted the same way you did but unfortunately there's no way around it. You're either going to have to go with an adult or not at all."

Harry made an annoyed face in reply, forcing himself to keep his mouth shut.

"I'm sorry…I know Hogsmeade trips seem like a lot of fun…they are a lot of fun but I'm not going to jeopardize your safety over an afternoon of fun with your friends. My offer stands though, I'd be happy to accompany you as would Remus."

Harry shook his head silently.

"Well if you change your mind…" Sirius trailed off as an idea formed in his mind. "What about Tonks?"

"What about her?" Harry asked with a bit more attitude than he had meant to have in his voice.

Sirius raised an eyebrow in reply.

"Sorry," Harry offered in a much softer voice.

Sirius didn't acknowledge the apology with more than a quick nod of his head before he went back to his previous thought. "She's a bit younger…perhaps a bit cooler in your mates' eyes. I could speak with her…see if she'd be willing to go along with you."

Harry thought this over for a moment before he nodded slowly. "And that would be okay?"

"She's highly skilled…skilled enough to handle anything that could go wrong," Sirius replied. "And I doubt she'd mind."

"She didn't seem happy to be here tonight,' Harry pointed out.

"She was being asked to miss an Order meeting to watch an insufferable teenager," Sirius reminded him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah about that," Harry said softly his attention suddenly focusing on his pajama clad knees. "I'm sorry I called you an arse."

His stomach turned as he waited for his godfather's response. He had brought it up and now there was no avoiding it and if he was going to be punished for it he'd find out in a moments time.

"I'm sorry as well," Sirius replied causing his godson's head to snap up. "I reacted a bit harshly didn't I?"

Harry felt his ears blush slightly as he nodded. The smack he had received had been harder than usual. In fact he was pretty sure that had Sirius not been holding his arm when he delivered it, the smack likely would have sent him flying.

"I don't want things to ever come to this again," Sirius spoke in a much more somber voice. "If you're upset with me you need to speak to me about it before you're yelling every other word. Agreed?"

Harry nodded.

"Good," Sirius gave a small smile.

"Am I still in my room until I go back to Hogwarts?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"You're in here for the remainder of the evening and aside from breakfast, tomorrow morning as well and then if we're still behaving we'll talk about going to the Burrow."

Harry nodded quietly in agreement. If there was one thing he could never fault his godfather for it was fairness. In all actuality he probably should have received a walloping or at the very least his bedroom punishment should have continued and Harry knew it. He could hardly complain about what he was receiving.

Sirius sighed softly as he gave his godson a small smile."And now I wonder why this was so difficult in the first place."

"I was too angry with you," Harry said unsure of whether he was supposed to answer or not. "And I was too afraid to try and explain it to you because you were so cross with me. Plus I was being a huge git."

Sirius sucked his breath in. He felt like he had just taken an elbow to the gut.

"Do I really seem stern all the time?" Sirius couldn't help but ask.

Harry shrugged, "Sometimes."

"Well then I suppose that's something I'm going to have to work on," Sirius replied. "But never, ever be too afraid to talk to me…even if you are angry with me. Understood?"

Harry nodded, "Understood."

"And now it's probably about time for you to get to sleep," Sirius said as he stood up. He replaced the desk chair to its usual resting spot in the time it took his godson to lie down.

Sirius leaned over and placed a kiss on Harry's forehead before moving the covers up around the boy's shoulders.

"I love you."

"Love you too Sirius."

"Sleep well Pup," Sirius replied with a smile placing a second kiss on the boy's forehead.

**TBC...**


	36. Chapter 36

**Author's Note: I've been on a bit of a writing kick lately, not that I'm complaining : ) Enjoy! And feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it.**

**Mira**

* * *

Sirius stood in front of the stove absentmindedly flipping pancakes every few seconds or so. It was just past the normal time in which they ate breakfast and Sirius was sure that at any moment his godson would be downstairs. The thought had his mind a million miles away from the cozy little kitchen.

He hadn't spoken to Harry since the night before. Sirius was silently praying that after the previous night, his godson's attitude had in fact improved. With just three days until he'd be sending Harry back off to Hogwarts until the Christmas holidays he hardly wanted to do anything except enjoy the remaining time with his godson. Of course their time together was going to have to start after Harry spent the morning in his room as Sirius was not going to go back on his words. He had been doing this parenting thing now for long enough to know that giving in and relenting on a punishment would only make things worse in the long run.

He was going to work on his own attitude as well. The last thing he ever wanted to do was come off as some strict old parent all the time and he was beginning to fear that that was exactly what he was doing. Not surprisingly, he had been quite stressed lately with the Order meetings but he had never meant to take that stress out on Harry. If he expected Harry's attitude to change, well then he was going to change his own also.

Sirius dished the pancakes off of the pan and onto plates as he heard his godson's footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Morning," Sirius said in a cheerful voice as Harry slid into his seat at the table. "Sleep well?"

Harry nodded as he reached for the glass of pumpkin juice before him and took a long swallow of it.

"Did you think about going to the Burrow today?" Harry asked as his godfather placed their breakfast on the table and slid into his own seat.

"I did," Sirius nodded. "And I have the same answer for you that I had last night, if you're behavior is satisfactory this morning and through lunch then we'll head over this afternoon."

Harry nodded as he began cutting up his food, "Promise?"

"I absolutely promise," Sirius replied with a grin. "Arthur and Molly actually spoke to me last night and invited us both over this evening and I'm rather looking forward to it so yes, I promise you."

Harry nodded taking the first bite of his breakfast. Once had had swallowed the mouthful of pancakes he spoke once more. "Do I still have to stay in my room all morning?"

"I'm afraid so Pup," Sirius replied with a soft smile."Though I think I'll be able to break you out for good behavior just before lunch."

A very small part of Harry wanted to complain that he was sick of being in his room but Sirius had called his by his nickname for the first time in days and despite his best efforts he couldn't stop the small smile that formed from the comment about breaking him out for good behavior.

"Can we go to Diagon Alley?" Harry asked before taking another bite.

"Today?" Sirius replied in a cynical voice. "I'm not sure how we'll fit that in with a trip to the Burrow as well."

"No not today," Harry shook his head. "Just before I go back to Hogwarts."

"I was under the impression you had everything you need for school," Sirius replied before taking a bite of his breakfast.

"I do. I mean I have all my books and robes but nothing else."

"What else could you need?" Sirius asked with an amused gleam in his eye.

He picked up his glass of pumpkin juice and took a drink from it as he watched his godson uncomfortably try and search for the right words. Finally after several long seconds, Harry seemed to have given up completely and settled for giving his godfather a pathetic look instead.

Sirius chuckled loudly before setting his glass back down."Alright you little mongrel, you win. I suppose it would be rather cruel of me to send you back without at least a hiccup sweet or two wouldn't it? And I assume you'll need to stock up on some sweets as well?"

"It's just that the teachers watch us so carefully, it's near impossible to bring enough sweets back to the dormitory."

"Understood," Sirius nodded with a smile. "Your father and I used to like to stock up ourselves. In our fifth year your father's entire trunk was nearly filled with Drooble's Best Blowing Gum." He paused for a moment and then after a loud laugh continued with his story, "He got himself into a bit of trouble with it though. McGonagall wasn't impressed when the common room was full of bluebell colored bubbles that refused to pop."

Harry smiled widely at this godfather's words. It had been so long since he had heard Sirius laugh so loudly.

"What did McGonagall do?" Harry asked. The last few bites of his breakfast were now far less interesting.

"Oh she got them to pop eventually, found some counter-spell I'm sure. Your father was in detention for what seemed like forever though. Between he and I, we may just hold the record for most hours of detention served in that castle."

"Fred and George might be close to beating it," Harry replied with a smile. "They're in detention all the time."

"Better them than you. Detention can be dreadfully boring and more so when you're in it all the time." Sirius paused for a moment before he spoke once more. "And speaking of dreadfully boring you seem to be about done with your breakfast."

"Aw Sirius," Harry practically whined. "I've been up there forever."

"Then just three more hours won't kill you," Sirius replied calmly as he stood up and began clearing the table.

"Yeah but couldn't I do something else, I could clean the kitchen or…"

"This isn't a negotiation it's your punishment," Sirius replied as he turned away from the sink to look at his godson who was still sitting at the table.

Sirius was trying hard to keep the sternness out of his voice though his godson wasn't helping the case. Perhaps though after the last words he spoke…

"Yeah but…"

Perhaps not.

"No," Sirius abruptly spoke before Harry could get another word out. He crossed the kitchen and leaned down, resting his elbows on the table, bringing himself eye to eye with his godson. "You want to go to the Burrow later yes?" Sirius asked in a calm voice, "and Diagon Alley tomorrow?"

Harry nodded silently.

"Then in order to do that you need to go spend the next three hours in your room," Sirius said softly. "And despite how horrible you think I am being by making you do so I'll remind you that given everything that has happened in the past few days things could be much worse."

Harry sat silently as his godfather's words washed over him. All things considered, he had to admit Sirius was right. In the past few days he had confessed about listening in on an Order meeting, acted like a complete git, and called the man an arse. In return he had spent some time in his room and received one single smack, albeit a hard smack, Harry still had to admit that Sirius really had been pretty brilliant about the whole ordeal.

Harry nodded once more as he stood, pushing his chair back with his legs.

"Sorry I'm a git," Harry offered in a sincere voice.

"You're nothing of the sort," Sirius replied standing up straight once more. "You're thirteen."

* * *

Harry was sitting on his bed staring at the clock on his bedside table. He had been in his room for exactly two hours and fifty minutes. He was pretty sure it had been the longest two hours and fifty minutes of his life. Now that things were good with his godfather, the last thing he wanted was to be stuck in his bedroom.

Twice he had thought about venturing out of his room, finding Sirius, and apologizing once more for his behavior in hopes that it would lessen his punishment. He thought better of it though. He deserved every second he was spending in his room and he knew it.

The minute hand ticked loudly on the clock. Two hours and fifty three minutes. One thing he knew for certain is that he would never call his godfather an arse again nor would he ever treat the man the way he had again. That was a promise he could make.

Harry nearly jumped off his bed at the sound of a knock on his door. He glanced at the clock once more as his godfather pushed his bedroom door open, just five minutes shy of the three hours he had promised.

"Haven't died of boredom I see," Sirius smiled as he leaned on the door frame.

"No," Harry replied, "but I think in another hour I would have."

"Well I appreciate that you stayed in your room like I asked."

Harry nodded feeling even more thankful that he hadn't ventured off in search of his godfather.

"And although you technically have two minutes left, I suppose I could let you out early for good behavior," Sirius chuckled. "I made hot ham sandwiches for lunch and they're currently waiting for us on the table."

Harry didn't have to be told twice, he literally leaped off of his bed and hurried towards his bedroom door before Sirius realized how easily he'd gotten off for his behavior and decided to make him stay in his room for the next three days.

Deep down, Harry knew that would never happen though. Sirius was always brilliant, even after he had given him a hard time this morning his godfather had just made him his favorite lunch.

Without a moment of hesitation, he wrapped his arms around his godfather's waist, hugging the man tightly.

"What's this about?" Sirius asked a bit taken back by the gesture. It wasn't like Harry, who was constantly trying to appear older than he was, to show his affection so randomly.

"I'm sorry," Harry spoke into the man's shirt.

Sirius smiled softly. "It's okay."

"I'll never treat you like that again," Harry promised in a sincere voice. "I was horrible."

Sirius gently pulled his godson away from him before crouching down in front of the boy, bringing them eye to eye.

"Hey," he said in a soft voice. "We were done with this."

"You're brilliant," Harry replied. He wanted to better explain everything he was feeling but he had a hunch that if he did he would end up in tears and that was the last thing he wanted.

"And so are you," Sirius replied with a small smile.

"I'm a prat," Harry muttered.

"I'm sure I'm not a pleasure to live with all the time either."

"No," Harry shook his head. "You are and I act horrible and..."

"And you're thirteen," Sirius cut him off, "and no that doesn't make your behavior acceptable but I suppose it does make it predictable."

Harry shrugged silently. He wondered why it was so easy for him to treat his godfather so horribly but after only a moment of thinking, he knew why. He knew Sirius would love him unconditionally despite how he acted or what he said and he knew his godfather would forgive him too. But still, that didn't make it right. He wasn't any less upset about the Hogsmeade trips or the fact that his godfather had gone to the Burrow but Sirius had been right, upset or not, he had acted horribly,

"You're a kid Pup, you're allowed to make mistakes," Sirius said gently. "And unfortunately when you do it's my job to correct you and sometimes punish you but I promise you, you are always forgiven and you always will be. So while I appreciate your apology, it's really not necessary. I know you didn't mean it and I know you're sorry."

"I am," Harry nodded.

"Then it's over," Sirius said with a small smile. "Now let's go eat lunch so we can go to the Burrow, shall we?"

* * *

"You haven't told him yet?"

Sirius was sitting in the parlor at the Burrow with Arthur and Molly. The three of them were enjoying each other's company while the children were outside flying.

"Now Molly, when Sirius decides to tell Harry is no one else's business," Arthur said in a cheerful voice.

"No, of course it isn't," Molly smiled brightly. "It's just that the children will be back at school in three days and I assumed Harry knew by now."

"I planned on speaking with him this evening," Sirius replied as he placed his empty tea cup on a small tray. "After the Order incident and speaking with him about Hogsmeade as well things have been...rough. I thought that telling him tonight; after he's spent the day with his friends, might help things go smoother."

Sirius watched as Molly's face changed from an expression of concern to one of annoyance.

"I still can't believe the gall of those three! Listening in on a meeting as if they don't know just how forbidden that it."

"Have you heard from Dumbledore at all?" Arthur asked in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

Sirius gathered that unlike his wife, Arthur was much like himself when it came to misdoings. Once they were handled, they were over and done with.

"I haven't," Sirius shook his head. "At least not very recently. Of course I spoke to him when he stopped by to talk about moving, he mentioned he was going to be traveling."

Molly nodded. "He didn't mention to anyone where he was going though. I can't help but be a bit curious."

* * *

"Can you believe that greasy git?' Ron asked with a disgusted look on his face.

"You're not even sure it was him," Hermione pointed out.

"Who else would it be? He probably saw the extendable ear and then ratted us out the first chance he got!"

"If it was Snape he would have told on us right at that moment," Ginny stated.

The four of them were sitting in the Weasley's backyard, broomsticks scattered around them.

"Maybe he was going to but Tonks came upstairs before he had the chance," Ron replied. His face lit up as he began nodding like a madman. "Yeah he saw the extendable ear and he was going to tell but Tonks came upstairs first and then he figured she would tell on us and when she didn't, he did! Bloody git! And you're sure Sirius didn't give any clue about who told him?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "Nothing."

"Fred and George are hardly speaking to me, mum was so angry with them about the ear."

"Well you shouldn't have stolen it from them," Ginny replied.

Harry felt his ears growing warm at Ron's words. He had forgotten that he had inevitably gotten Fred and George in trouble right along with Ron and Ginny.

He felt Hermione's eyes stare him down for a moment before she turned back to Ron and spoke.

"Maybe no one told, maybe someone just figured it out."

"How would anyone just figure that out?" Ron asked. "It had to be Snape."

"Does it even matter?" Ginny asked. "It's not as if knowing who told will change anything."

"Exactly," Hermione agreed.

Neither of the Weasleys had said a word about being punished though Harry assumed they had been. No one had mentioned the fact that Harry had been absent from the meeting either though he assumed they all knew why and he was grateful it hadn't been brought up.

"Can we fly now?" Ginny asked as she stood up and grabbed her broom off the ground. "We can play Quidditch; me and Harry against you and Hermione."

"How is that even fair? She hates flying!" Ron gestured at Hermione as the rest of them got on their feet.

"Fine then, you and Harry against Hermione and me," Ginny replied as she kicked up off the ground, soaring high above them.

"That's more like it," Ron smiled as he flew up next to his sister.

Harry leaned over and picked up his broom ready to follow his friends when Hermione spoke softly.

"It was you, wasn't it?"

"Huh?" Harry asked. He could feel his ears growing warm once more. How could she have possibly known?

"You told Sirius about listening to the meeting," Hermione said careful to keep her voice at a low volume. Ron and Ginny were high above them now and while the chance that they could hear the conversation was slim to none, Harry still appreciated her discretion.

"How'd you know?" Harry asked in a guilty voice.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm your best friend."

"So is Ron," Harry replied. "Do you think he-"

"No," she cut him off. "He would have said something if he did."

Harry nodded as he mounted his broom.

"You won't..." He trailed off. He knew she wouldn't, but he had to hear her say it.

"I would never," she replied in a serious voice. As she mounted her broom her voice changed to one much more fearful, "I hate flying."

"Thanks," Harry said as he kicked up off the ground.

Hermione gave him a nervous smile as she kicked up and hovered next to him. "Just don't let me die on this broom and we'll call it even."

"Hurry up you two!" Ron yelled from above them. "We're going back to school in three days it'd be nice to start the game before then!"

"Shut up!" Harry yelled back with a laugh. Hermione had been right, there was no way Ron had any idea.

* * *

"Tea, bath, and then bed," Sirius spoke as they stepped out of the fireplace and into their living room.

"I know," Harry smiled as he followed his godfather through the house and into the kitchen. "You aren't taking a cranky thirteen year old to Diagon Alley tomorrow." He imitated his godfather's voice perfectly.

"No you cheeky little thing, I'm not," Sirius laughed as he retrieved two tea cups from a cabinet. "Perhaps we should cut your hair tomorrow as well. It's getting a bit long."

Harry made a face as he slid into his seat. "I like my hair the way it is."

"Fine, but if Dumbledore sends you home because of it don't come crying to me," Sirius chuckled as he quickly heated up two cups of tea with his wand.

Harry rolled his eyes playfully. "It'd never happen."

"Well let's hope not for your sake," Sirius grinned. He placed the two cups of tea on the table before crossing the room and reaching up into a high cabinet.

Harry watched as Sirius pulled out a tin of shortbread cookies. They were a favorite treat of both Harry and Sirius but they were reserved for certain occasions, the night Harry's name had been pulled from the goblet for example, and more recently when Sirius explained that the Order would be meeting more recently and why.

Harry felt his insides shift the moment he saw it. He was immediately amazed at how quickly he could go from joking around with his godfather to feeling overly concerned about what the man was about to tell him.

"What is it?" Harry couldn't help but ask as Sirius set the tin on the table and took his seat.

Sirius gave him a small grin as he reached out and popped the lid off the tin. "Whatever you're thinking I promise you it isn't nearly as bad."

"So what is it?" Harry asked once more. He wanted to believe his godfather's words but he couldn't help but think that the smile Sirius had just given him had seemed a bit forced.

"Dumbledore dropped by the other day."

Harry's stomach flipped. In his experience whenever Sirius started a sentence with, Dumbledore dropped by, the outcome was rarely good.

"He feels that the time has come for us to move to Grimmauld Place."

"We aren't safe here?" Harry asked hoping that his voice was void of fear.

"Of course we are," Sirius nodded. "I've told you in the past we are haven't I? Do you honestly think we'd be sitting here right now if we weren't?"

"No," Harry admitted. "But then why do we have to move?"

"As I've told you before Pup that house is unplottable. The only people who even know where it is or how to enter it are the members of the Order."

Harry let these words digest for a moment before he spoke. "It's a bit dreary."

"Well we can liven it up."

"And it's dangerous, you always say that," Harry pointed out.

"There is a room or two that you'll have to avoid but overall members of the Order have been working quite hard to remove dangerous items," Sirius explained.

"When do we have to move?"

"After you return to Hogwarts, Kingsley and I are going to move everything over."

"If I say I don't want to will it make a difference?" Harry asked.

"I'm afraid not," Sirius replied gently. "With Voldemort getting stronger it really is the safest decision."

Harry was silent as he reached into the tin and withdrew a cookie.

"It'll be fun," Sirius promised. "There will be Order members coming and going all the time."

"I can't fly there," Harry said as he flipped the uneaten cookie in his hand. He hated himself for how close to tears his voice sounded at the words.

"No you can't," Sirius agreed. "But you can still fly at Ron's and at school of course. It's not forever," he promised when Harry did not respond. "The moment this mess is over we'll be back in this house, you have my word."

Harry nodded silently.

"It won't be all that bad Pup, you'll see."

**TBC...**


	37. Chapter 37

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry this one took me so long to get up. I had a few short stories I wanted to do before this and now I think I've found myself back in the writing mood. I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter and thank you to the person who anonymously wrote in my ask on my tumblr and gave me the idea for part of it : )**

* * *

"You're sure you have everything you need?"

Harry's eyes roamed over his large school trunk which was sitting next to the fireplace. "Yeah," he nodded, "I think so."

"Plenty of pajamas and socks?" Sirius questioned. "And all your school books?"

"Yeah," Harry nodded patiently. He had started packing the night prior and every time Sirius had passed his room he had lingered for a moment, asking questions and reminding Harry of exactly what had to go into his trunk. Thankfully, Harry appreciated the concern and even found some humor in his godfather's constant nagging.

Harry had been adamant that he was more than old enough to pack for the school year himself and so despite the fact that Sirius wasn't quite sure this wouldn't end with his godson's trunk being filled with sweets instead of clothing and books, he allowed Harry to do so.

"And you remembered your robes right? And the essays you wrote for Potions?"

"Do you want to check it?" Harry asked, giving him godfather a small smirk.

Sirius opened his mouth, ready to pounce on his godson's offer, before quickly closing his lips and shaking his head. "Of course not, I trust you packed appropriately."

Harry looked up at his godfather, the doubt written all over his face.

"Ready to go then?" Sirius asked as he leaned down and took hold of one of the trunk handles.

At the very last minute it had been decided that Harry and Sirius, along with the Weasleys and the Grangers, would spend the night in Diagon Alley, making the trip to the train station a much easier one in the morning.

At first Harry had hated the idea. He had been looking forward to spending the last night of his summer holiday with his godfather in their own house as it could quite possibly be the last night in their house for some time. The more he thoughts about it though, the better the idea sounded. Saying goodbye to his godfather was always hard and Harry couldn't help but think that doing so in front of everyone else would make him less of an emotional mess. Aside from that, a night in Diagon Alley with his best friends was hardly a bad thing.

"Ready," Harry nodded as he grabbed the other handle of his trunk and stepped into the fireplace aside his godfather.

Harry's eyes scanned the living room as he waited for Sirius to drop the floo powder and state their destination. He couldn't help but feel despondent about the idea that it could be months or even years before he would see the room again. A big part of him really felt like fighting Sirius tooth and nail about moving but he hardly thought it would really make much of a difference. Sirius had obviously made up his mind and Harry had a feeling that no amount of arguing would change it.

* * *

"This year is so very important," Mrs. Weasley spoke in a rather boisterous voice. "Next year they'll be preparing for O.W.L.S you know and so this year it is rather important that they concentrate on their school work. Hopefully they'll realize that and take the proper precautions in keeping themselves out of trouble." As she spoke the final words her gaze drifted to Harry and Ron.

Sirius glanced over as well, causing Harry to blush slightly.

"Mum has said that the past two years too," Ron muttered to Harry under his breath.

"I'm sure they will dear," Mr. Weasley smiled as he took a long drink of his firewhisky before turning his attention back to Mr. Granger. "Now I simply must ask; how in Merlin's name does a video recording machine work?"

"Arthur we spoke about this," Mrs. Wesley chuckled. "Don't pester him."

"I assure you he isn't in the least," Mr. Granger smiled.

The group of them were in the bar of The Leaky Cauldron, taking up nearly every table in the room, as the adults drank and talked loudly.

"This is boring," Fred announced.

"They aren't even talking about anything interesting," George agreed.

Harry concurred. Although it was quite nice to be sharing the afternoon with some of the people he cared for most in the world, listening to the adults talking was rapidly becoming more tedious by the minute.

"Mum did say we could go to the shops didn't she?" Ron asked his brothers.

Harry raised an eyebrow at these words. He couldn't imagine Mrs. Weasley allowing them to go off on their own again, not after the last time.

Fred nodded in response.

"As long as you promise to behave yourself," George smirked.

"And listen to us," Fred laughed. "Imagine mum finally realizing that compared to you and Harry, we're practically angels."

Ron rolled his eyes at these words, turning his attention away from his brothers and back to his best friend.

"Go on then, ask Sirius if you can go."

"What about Hermione?" Harry asked. Maybe her parents would say no, saving him from asking his godfather all together.

Fred glanced across the room to where Hermione and Ginny were deep in conversation, practically drooling over a picture of a famous Quidditch player in a magazine.

"Looks like they've found something to keep them plenty busy," George noted.

Ron made a face of disgust at the girls' actions before speaking once more. "See so just tell Sirius you're gonna come with us, it'll be loads more fun than sitting around here."

Harry wanted to point out that he wasn't going to _tell _his godfather anything and that even if he asked he probably wouldn't be allowed.

He felt his stomach turn with nerves as he racked his brain trying to come up with an excuse.

"It's almost dinner time," he pointed out meekly. "Maybe we shouldn't…"

"There's at least two hours until dinner," Ron cut him off, "we could have loads of fun before then."

Harry glanced at his godfather. He was about to open his mouth and tell his friends that he didn't want to go. He knew the chances of Sirius allowing him to do so were slim to none and there was no way he was going to ask the man and be rejected in front of his friends.

Miraculously though, his godfather spoke before he had a chance to do so.

"Did you want to go Harry?"

Harry gave a small nod. How in the world had the man heard them all the way across the room?

"You're going to stay together?" Sirius asked, his eyes roaming from Ron's face to the twins.

Ron nodded quickly as Fred spoke, "Absolutely."

"And you'll stay out of mischief? No wandering off where you ought not be?" To anyone else in the room, Harry was sure Sirius' voice sounded normal but Harry unmistakably caught the hint of somberness and he was sure his godfather was remembering the Rita Skeeter incident.

Harry nodded quickly. The last thing he wanted was for that to be revisited nor did he plan on getting into any trouble today.

"Go on then," Sirius smiled, "before I realize what I just agreed to and change my mind."

Harry looked up at his godfather unable to keep the smile off of his face. His eyes however clearly asked if Sirius was certain.

"Just be back by supper," Sirius spoke, his smile still evident.

Harry felt an overwhelming surge of affection towards his godfather as he jumped up with the Weasleys and followed them towards the exit while their mother shouted out reminders of the rules.

Harry wanted nothing more than to run over to his godfather and engulf the man in a hug, all while thanking him profusely for allowing him to go, for not making him look like a baby in front of his friends, for being as brilliant as he was. But being thirteen and not wanting to look immature prevented him from doing so and instead Harry merely flashed his godfather a smile on his way out the door.

* * *

Harry stepped through the archway and onto the busy street, still amazed that he had been allowed out with just his friends.

Diagon Alley was quite crowded though, but with school starting in just a day, it wasn't unusual that it was.

"We should go to Quality Quidditch Supplies," Ron said.

Fred nodded eagerly in reply as George spoke. "We will, right after we hit Gambol & Japes, we need to stock up a bit while mum isn't around."

Harry smiled at the older boy's words as he followed the twins and Ron down the street.

"Can't Harry and I just meet you after your done there?"

"Afraid not little brother," Fred shook his head. "Mum would murder us if we let you out of our sight."

"We won't be long," George promised as he pulled a sheet of parchment from his pocket. "We've already made our list, just need to check it off now." He pulled the door to the joke shop open, lowering his hand as he did so just long enough to give Harry a minute to glance at the list and note that the first item listed was, Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous Wet-Start No-Heat Fireworks.

"No- heat fireworks?" Ron questioned as he read over Harry's shoulder. "Mum is gonna murder you whether we stay with you or not."

* * *

"Shall I go with them?" Percy asked jumping out of his seat a second after the four boys exited the room. "Make sure they stay out of trouble?"

"I'm not quite as worried of them finding trouble as I am of trouble finding them," Sirius noted.

"They'll be just fine Percy," Mr. Weasley spoke.

"Yes but with the way things are…and Harry being who he is…" Percy stumbled over his words.

"I appreciate your concern but I assure you they are quite fine," Sirius smiled softly. He glanced across the room to where Hermione and Ginny were still fawning over the magazine and lowered his voice several decibels before speaking once more. He hardly wanted to embarrass his godson in front of his two young friends. "Unbeknownst to them, they are not alone."

Percy looked absolutely dumbfounded at Sirius' words.

"Tonks," Mrs. Weasley supplied. "She was aware they may be venturing out this afternoon and is currently following them and keeping an eye on them…several steps behind them but still close enough to step in and halt any trouble if needed."

Sirius had to admit it was one of his better ideas. When the Weasleys had first mentioned the boys inevitably wanting to venture out on their own he had been dead against the idea. However, after some careful thought and planning it only made sense to let them think they were alone, despite the fact that they were anything but. Tonks had been more than happy to oblige as well. Sirius couldn't help but think that her eagerness to help had a lot to do with her proving herself worthy to the Order, regardless he was thankful for the help.

Percy nodded, breathing a low sigh of relief.

"As if I would allow them to go off on their own after the stunt Ronald pulled earlier this summer."

Sirius nodded in agreement. Unlike Molly, he wasn't worried about Harry's behavior. He was pretty confident that after the last instance his godson would keep himself out of trouble. However, he was hardly confident enough in the world around them and for that reason alone he wouldn't have permitted Harry to wander the streets without supervision. The last thing Sirius wanted was a disaster involving death eaters the night before Harry was scheduled to return to Hogwarts.

* * *

"Non-explodable luminous balloons," Harry observed as he caught in glimpse into Fred's bag. "So they won't explode then?"

"They won't pop at all," Fred explained as the four of them stepped out of the joke shop and back on to the street.

"We had a whole lot of them last year but Filch got a hold of them before we ever got the chance to use them," George continued.

They passed the Apothecary and memories of the last time he had been in Diagon Alley with Ron flooded Harry's mind despite how hard he tried to prevent them from doing so. It was only in the past week or so that Rita Skeeter's name had re-appeared after articles in The Daily Prophet. When he had first seen it, he had breathed a huge sigh of relief. As horrible as she was he hadn't wanted her to be seriously hurt. He often wondered how they had ever thought their plan to prank her had been anything but completely mental.

"Filch probably has more of your old pranks than you do," Ron laughed bringing Harry out of his thoughts.

"One of these days we're going to ransack his office. We're just waiting for the perfect diversion," Fred smiled as he and George walked into the Quidditch shop leaving Ron and Harry behind outside the door.

Harry smiled widely at Fred's words. He gave the twins a lot of credit when it came to their ability to get away with mischief. Of course, he got into his own share but it couldn't compare to the way the twins planned things so precisely and got away with their plans nearly every time.

"I hope I have enough sickles for a magazine," Ron spoke.

"Especially considering Hermione and Ginny don't seem too likely to be giving your other one back," Harry laughed.

"Quality Quidditch Supplies? Shouldn't you be shopping somewhere more your style? The Junk Shop perhaps?"

Harry watched as Ron blushed a dark shade of red.

"Shut it Malfoy!" The words were out of Harry's mouth before he even turned around and confirmed that it was in fact Draco standing behind them.

"It's true," Draco replied. "That's what the Weasley family is known for, having more children than they can afford."

"I said shut it!" Harry repeated once more. He could feel the anger growing him and was taking every step he could to try and force it back down.

"Or you'll what?" Draco asked in a taunting voice. "Call your godfather to come and save you?"

Harry opened his mouth to reply and then thought better of it. He turned to Ron, "let's just go, he isn't worth it."

"Pathetic excuse for a godfather he is," Draco continued.

Ron opened his mouth to shout something in reply but Harry spoke before his red headed friend could.

"Just ignore him," Harry insisted turning back towards the Quidditch store, his hand now reaching for the door.

"Still I guess it is better he has you than your parents. My father says they were even more pathetic than your godfather is, not sure how that's possible though."

"Shut up!" Harry yelled as he spun around on his heel. "Just shut up Malfoy!"

Draco opened his mouth to reply but instead of speaking a disgusting look overcame his face.

"He's gonna sick up," Ron observed in a shocked voice.

Draco opened his mouth as if he was going to vomit, but instead of some disgusting form of his lunch, a fat slimy slug fell out of his mouth and onto the ground.

"You did this!" Draco shouted in between vomiting up several more slugs.

Harry shook his head frantically as Ron chuckled under his breath.

"I didn't!" He insisted.

"My father will…" Another slug. "Hear about this!"

Harry could feel the panic rising in him. Had he done it? In the past, when he was much younger, he had done things like this on several occasions without meaning to, but surely now that he was aware he was a wizard it should not be happening.

Harry didn't recall even seeing Tonks appear until after she had waved her wand and stopped the spell.

"You broke the law Potter! You can't do magic outside of school! My father will hear about this and…"

"Now just calm down Draco," Tonks spoke in a composed voice. "It was obviously accidental and…"

"Like a bloody five year old!" Malfoy spat back. "The Ministry won't care; you'll be expelled for this!"

Harry looked up at Tonks, his face full of concern. Could he really be expelled for something he hadn't even meant to do?

"If you would just calm down and…."

But Draco didn't give her a chance to finish her sentence he was already walking away quite quickly and Harry didn't doubt for a second that he was venturing off to find his father.

"Can I really be expelled?" Harry couldn't help but ask the moment Draco was out of earshot.

"The Ministry isn't going to expel you for something so trivial," Tonks said reassuringly. "Ron can you please go get your brothers and head back to The Leaky Cauldron. I'm going to walk Harry back to Sirius now."

Somehow Harry had completely forgotten about his godfather until Tonks mentioned his name. He was going to be furious over this, Harry just knew it. He had treated him like an adult and allowed him to go off on his own and this is what had happened.

Ron had already disappeared into the store. There was a small crowd standing around, observing the scene before them. Draco had been so loud that Harry was honestly surprised there weren't more people gawking at him.

Tonks had begun walking back towards the inn but Harry had stayed rooted in his spot.

The young witch turned to see him standing still and gave him a small, encouraging smile. "I'll help you explain."

It was only at her words that he took the first step in her direction, followed by several more to catch up with her.

"I really didn't mean to do it," he spoke after a few moments of silence.

"I know that," Tonks replied. "You're a good little wizard from what I hear but I'm not sure I'd believe you are advanced enough to perform spells silently, and, as far as I could see, you didn't utter a word."

"But Sirius…"

"Will absolutely understand as long as you are honest with him."

Harry thought these words over as they walked back through the arch way and into The Leaky Cauldron. Harry was extremely relieved to find the bar where they had all been sitting was now quite empty aside from a few wizards Harry didn't recognize. The last thing he had wanted was to try and explain what had just happened in front of Mrs. Weasley and everyone else.

The more he thought about Tonks words, the more they rang true for him. Sirius would believe him if he just explained to him what had happened. Still, on the small chance that he didn't, he was thankful that his godfather was obviously up in their room which would make their conversation private.

* * *

"What happened?" Sirius asked the moment Harry walked into the room. He saw Tonks a step behind his godson and immediately envisioned the worst; a death eater attack or Voldemort himself walking into the Quidditch Supply Store.

"It was an accident," Harry spoke before he could collect his thoughts. "I didn't mean for it to happen."

Sirius' expression quickly changed from one of concern and worry to one of curiosity and sternness.

"Didn't mean for what to happen?" He asked unable to keep the strictness out of his voice. "What was an accident?"

"Don't get cross before I even tell you," Harry practically begged.

If anyone else was in the room witnessing this at the moment Harry would have died from embarrassment but for some reason Tonks being there didn't bother him in the least.

Sirius was silent for a moment eyeing his godson and then his cousin.

"Alright," he finally said in a much calmer voice. "Go on and tell me."

"We were outside of the Quidditch store, Ron and me…the twins were just inside and we were walking in right behind them but then Malfoy showed up and he was saying all of these horrible things." Harry paused for a moment, he wasn't sure he wanted to tell Sirius exactly what Draco had said, but then if he didn't how would the man ever understand? "First about Ron but then about you and mum and dad. I was going to just walk inside and I don't even really know what happened. All I did was tell him to shut up and then the next thing I knew he was throwing up slugs."

"Throwing up slugs?" Sirius replied in a shocked voice.

Harry nodded. It was obvious by his godfather's face that he hadn't expected the story to go in that direction at all.

"The slug- vomiting charm," Tonks spoke for the first time since she had entered the room. "If I had seen it coming I would have stepped in a lot sooner but I suppose that's the tricky thing about accidental magic, you don't see it coming do you?"

"And the Weasleys are where?" Sirius asked.

"The twins are walking Ron back. I wanted to get Harry back here before Lucius turned up on the street and caused an even bigger commotion."

Sirius nodded quietly.

"You aren't mad are you?" Harry asked in a muted voice.

"Tonks can you go and make sure the Weasley children made it back here alright? I want to speak with my godson alone."

"Of course," Tonks nodded. She headed towards the door, turning one last time to give Harry a small sympathetic smile.

"I know," Harry said the moment the door closed behind the young witch. He flopped down onto the brown couch in their room. "You trusted me and I messed it up but I really didn't mean to Sirius. Honest, I really was just going to walk away. You can even ask Ron."

"I don't need to ask Ron anything," Sirius replied gently as he sat down next to his godson.

Harry looked up at his godfather with a curious look on his face.

"And you haven't messed anything up. You haven't done anything wrong Pup. Accidental magic isn't your fault."

"Malfoy said I could get expelled for it."

"Nonsense," Sirius shook his head. "You couldn't control it and no godson of mine is going to get into trouble for something so ridiculous."

Harry was silent for a moment before he spoke once more. "You really aren't mad at me?"

"Not in the least," Sirius promised as he leaned over and placed a kiss on the teenager's forehead. "Now perhaps we should go find the others and have some supper."

**TBC...**


	38. Chapter 38

**Author's Note: I apologize for taking so long to update this story! I hope ya'll enjoy it and please feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it : )**

* * *

The first few weeks of the school year flew by uneventfully. Harry had started two new classes, Divination, which he hated, and Care of Magical Creatures which he quite enjoyed. He didn't enjoy what he learned in class as much as the fact that Hagrid was the teacher; a pleasant surprise that Remus had sprung on them the night before they had left for school.

Harry had also, surprisingly, managed to stay out of trouble aside from a detention with Snape which wasn't even just. He had immediately written Sirius about it, complaining to his godfather that he hadn't done anything wrong. Sirius had hardly been mad about the detention but rather more amused by his godson's child-like antics in his complaining.

Harry and Sirius had exchanged letters several other times but Harry had not seen his godfather since he boarded the Hogwarts Express. The previous year, Harry had visited his Sirius frequently throughout the school year, but his godfather had been busy moving and unable to take time away to go to Hogwarts and Harry, despite the fact that Sirius had asked him several times, hadn't been to Grimmuald Place yet. He didn't want it to bother him that they had to move but he couldn't help the feeling that Grimmuald Place wasn't home to him and he wasn't sure it ever would be.

Today was the first Quidditch match of the season though; Gryffindor against Slytherin, and Sirius was coming to watch it, a promise that had Harry smiling all through his breakfast.

"I don't understand why you don't want to do this. You were game for it this summer."

"Maybe Harry doesn't want to get in trouble Ronald," Hermione said in an annoyed voice. "Which is actually quite smart of him and you shouldn't keep encouraging him to do otherwise."

Ron scowled at Hermione as he shoveled another forkful of eggs into his mouth. "Stay out of it Hermione, it's got nothing to do with that."

Ron's on-going pestering had started nearly as soon as they stepped into Hogwarts for their third year and hadn't let up since. He was insistent that they were wasting time. In Ron's opinion, Harry's number one priority should be talking to Luna Lovegood about The Quibbler and her father's request for an interview.

It would be a bold face lie for Harry to say that the idea of doing the interview didn't tempt him. When he had returned to school he had half expected everyone to be talking about the article that Rita Skeeter had written earlier in the summer but he had been satisfyingly surprised to find that most of his fellow students had forgotten about it…most of them. There were still the few who whispered when he walked by. And then there was Malfoy and his friends who made it a point to speak loudly about everything they felt. The article, on top of Harry's bout with accidental magic gave Malfoy enough fuel to go for weeks, much to Harry's dismay.

He would have loved to have talked to Mr. Lovegood and to be able to tell his side of the story but he wasn't about to disobey Sirius in such a way. He had made a promise to himself that he was done with lying to his godfather and sneaking around and he intended to keep it. The man deserved at least that much.

"And Harry isn't scared to get into trouble," Ron continued.

"I never said he was scared. What I said was that maybe he doesn't want to get into trouble," Hermione clarified.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the two of them. "Just let it go. I'm not going to talk to Luna about it so it doesn't matter."

Hermione gave Ron a pointed, 'I told you so look', before opening her mouth and speaking once more.

"Have either of you started the essay for Charms yet? I think I'm going to go to the library after the Quidd-"

"It's Saturday," Ron said in a disgusted voice.

"And tomorrow will be Sunday followed by Monday which also happens to be the day the essay is due."

"I'm going to do mine tomorrow," Harry offered.

"Yeah," Ron nodded, "me too."

Hermione sighed as she gave them both a disapproving look. "Don't expect any help from me if you wait until the last minute."

She fed them this line every time and every time she helped them regardless. Harry often wondered why she even bothered telling them she wouldn't, it made no sense to him, but then most things girls did made little sense to him.

* * *

Harry walked onto the Quidditch pitch with the rest of his teammates. He hadn't seen Sirius yet but he was sure his godfather was sitting up in the stands somewhere with Remus.

The wind was so strong that they staggered sideways as they walked out onto the field. If the crowd was cheering, they couldn't hear it over the fresh rolls of thunder. Rain was splattering over Harry's glasses.

The Slytherins were approaching from the opposite side of the field. Harry felt his nerves rising in him. How on earth was he going to see the snitch, never mind catch it, in this horrible weather? The only calming thought he had was that if the weather would certainly hinder Malfoy's chances of catching it as well.

Seconds later they were in the middle of the field and Harry saw Madam Hooch's mouth form the words, "Mount your broom."

After a moment of fighting to pull his foot out of the mud, he swung his leg over his broom, kicking off the ground seconds later as he heard the official whistle blow.

Harry tired his hardest to keep his broom under control, but the wind still managed to cause it to swerve slightly in the air. Within five minutes he was soaked through his robes and frozen. He was hardly able to see his teammates, let alone the snitch.

Harry flew back and forth, trying to make something out but he could barely see his other teammates. Twice he was nearly hit by a bludger.

He had no idea how long he had been in the air. The sky was getting darker and darker, as if night had decided to come several hours early.

The first flash of lightning nearly startled Harry off his broom. It was then that he noticed Malfoy less than a foot below him.

Harry shivered as a chill went through his body. He was now numb and could hardly feel anything but the cold.

There was another clap of thunder, followed immediately by lightning. Harry was well aware that the game wouldn't be canceled over a storm. He also knew that his godfather was probably going crazy down in the stands at the idea of him so high up in the air in the middle of a storm.

Another flash of lightning illuminated the field allowing Harry to quickly look around. A smile spread across his face as he saw the snitch zooming around just a few feet in front of him.

Harry threw himself flat on to his broom, gripping the handle tightly. He began to zoom towards the snitch just as he heard Fred Weasley yell out to him.

"Harry! Harry! Watch out!"

Harry felt something hit his stomach. It felt as if he had taken a punch to the gut. It caught him so off guard that he lost grip on his broom.

He was falling. He heard a collective gasp from the crowd and then everything went dark.

* * *

"Lucky the ground was soft."

"I thought for sure he was dead."

"I can't believe his glasses didn't even break."

Harry could hear the voices whispering. He could even make out who they belonged to- Ron, George, Hermione. They weren't making any sense to him though. He didn't have a clue where he was, or how he'd gotten there, or what he'd been doing before he got there. All he knew was that every inch of him was aching as though he'd been beaten.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life."

Ginny's voice now.

Harry slowly opened his eyes. He was lying in the hospital wing. All the people he had heard were there, along with Fred. They all looked as though they had just climbed out of a swimming pool.

"Harry!" Fred exclaimed suddenly noticing that the boy was awake. "How are you feeling?"

Suddenly the entire day came rushing back to Harry's mind. The lightning…the snitch…the bludger…falling.

"What…how…"

"You fell off your broom," Hermione supplied in a gentle voice.

"You must have fallen sixty feet," Ron added.

"We thought you were dead," Ginny said. She was shaking softly.

Hermione made a dreadful squeaking sound at the words.

"But the match?" Harry asked. "What happened? Are we doing a rematch?"

The five of them exchanged worried glances.

"We lost didn't we?" Harry asked, sitting up quickly. "Because of me."

"Malfoy got the snitch," George admitted after another moment of silence. "Just after you fell, he must have seen you going after it and followed you and when you got hit, he grabbed it. We wanted a rematch but I guess all the teachers agreed they had won fair and square. They said Malfoy didn't realize you got hit. Even McGonagall agreed."

Harry made a miserable face before burying his head in his knees.

"C'mon Harry you've never missed the snitch before," Ron said in a sympathetic voice.

"There had to be one time you didn't get it," Fred added quietly. "And it's not over yet. We could still win the house cup, it was only one game."

Harry sat there not saying a word. They had lost…for the first time ever, he had lost a Quidditch match.

And then suddenly, he remembered his godfather.

"Is Sirius here?" He asked, slowly raising his head.

Hermione nodded. "He's speaking with Professor Dumbledore. We were actually supposed to go get him the moment you woke up," she admitted, with a guilty look on her face.

"Dumbledore?" Harry questioned.

"He was really upset when you fell…almost as upset as Sirius," Ginny said in a soft voice.

"Professor Dumbledore ran out on the field as you were falling," Hermione explained. "He sort of waved his wand right before you hit the ground and I guess managed to make you slow down quite a bit."

"Then he magicked you on to a stretcher," Ron added. "And walked up to the school with you floating on it, that's why we all thought you were…" He trailed off as both Hermione and Ginny gave him a pitiful look.

"Was Sirius mad?" Harry asked. He could just picture his godfather yelling at the Headmaster, despite the fact that it wasn't the man's fault.

"He didn't look mad…just scared," Hermione replied.

Harry considered these words before he spoke once more. "Can one of you go find him please?"

"I'll go," George offered.

"You can all go," Madam Pomfrey spoke, as she entered the ward and approached them. "Mr. Potter needs his rest."

"I feel okay," Harry spoke, hoping the witch would reconsider.

Madam Pomfrey raised a stern eyebrow at him. "You need rest Potter and you won't get it with this crowd around you."

Harry sighed in defeat as his friends slowly got up and started walking towards the door under Madam Pomfrey's watchful eye.

She waited until they had exited the room and then reached onto a shelf next to Harry's bed. She picked up a large bottle and a spoon.

"What is it?" Harry asked hoping his voice didn't sound too nervous.

He had had his share of potions and he had yet to meet one that didn't taste dreadful.

"For your aches and pains," Madam Pomfrey spoke as she began unscrewing the cap on the bottle. "With the fall you took, I'm surprised you didn't break half the bones in your body."

She carefully measured out a spoonful of the potion.

"I'm really not that achy," Harry tried. "I doubt you need to waste that on me at all. Honest."

"You're friends are no longer here Mr. Potter," Madam Pomfrey smiled as she held out the tablespoon. "And there is no need to impress me with your bravery. I know you're in pain and I know this will help it."

"But I..."

"Enough with the excuses," she interrupted pushing the large spoon towards his mouth. "Open up."

Harry sighed in defeat as he opened his mouth and accepted the spoonful of biter potion. He figured it was probably easier than arguing. Sirius would be walking in any minute and he knew his godfather well enough to know that the man would side with Madam Pomfrey and he'd be taking the potion whether he wanted to or not.

"Good boy," Madam Pomfrey praised, as if she was talking to a five year old. "I heard your godfather is on his way in so I'll hold off on the sleeping draught for now." She gave him a smile before heading on her way, pulling the curtain around his bed as she left.

Harry made a face at the after taste of the medicine before lying back on his pillow.

He had to admit, despite the horrible taste, the potion had worked nearly immediately and the pain he had been feeling was quickly vanishing.

The thought of the Quidditch match he had just lost for his team entered his mind once more but was pushed aside as the curtain around his bed opened once more, revealing his godfather.

"How are you doing?"

It was the simplest question and yet, as the words hit Harry, he felt as though he could cry.

He shrugged a bit looking up at his godfather's worried face. "I'm okay."

Sirius gave him a sad smile as he sat on the edge of the bed. "You certainly don't look it Pup."

It was at the use of his nickname that he felt the lump form in his throat. He swallowed hard, forcing it back down before speaking in a hoarse voice. "I feel like an idiot."

"Why in Merlin's name would you-"

"Because I lost the game for Gryffindor," Harry interrupted him. "It was my fault. All because of one stupid move."

"You can't win every game," Sirius said in a sympathetic voice. "And I'm sure your team mates do not blame you. It could have happened to anyone."

Harry shrugged once more. He knew his godfather's words were true but he still couldn't help how he felt about what had happened.

"The game isn't as important as you are," Sirius continued. "Have you any idea what I thought when I saw you hit the ground?"

Harry nodded softly. He knew what his godfather had likely thought as it was probably the same as what his friends had thought.

"I thought my worst fears were coming true," Sirius went on, his voice cracking a bit. Harry looked up at him. Sirius closed his eyes tightly for a moment and when he opened them once more he seemed to have regained his composure. "Have you any idea what that would do to me?"

Harry nodded once more. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

"No," Sirius shook his head. He forced a smile as his hand reached out and rubbed his godson's leg. "Don't apologize for something that wasn't your fault. I didn't mean to make you feel as though you should. I only wanted you to realize that compared to losing your life, losing a Quidditch match is hardly important at all."

Harry nodded reluctantly. His godfather's words made sense to him but he still couldn't help but feel if they didn't win the house cup at the end of the year everyone would remember how he fell off his broom. And aside from that, he knew his falling was only going to add fuel to Malfoy's daily taunting.

"And don't let Malfoy get to you about it," Sirius added as if he had read his godson's thoughts.

"I know," Harry muttered.

Sirius gave the boy another small smile. "Did Madam Pomfrey give you something for your pain?"

"Yeah, something disgusting."

"Sadly I'd get used to that if I were you; with that fall you took you're likely to be in here for a day or so."

Harry's shoulders slumped at the words. "You could talk to Madam Pomfrey," he said. "Tell her I don't have to be in here."

"I could but I'm not going to," Sirius replied gently. "Sorry Pup but you need to rest and heal."

Harry frowned as he looked up at his godfather.

"Do you want me to stay the night with you?"

The words pulled at Harry. A small part of him did want his godfather there with him but he hardly wanted to seem like that much of a child.

"No, that's okay," Harry finally answered. "But will you come see me tomorrow?"

Sirius nodded a smile on his face. "Absolutely and if you need me you just ask for Remus and he'll get me okay?"

Harry nodded as Sirius stood up and leaned over him, ruffling his hair gently. "I'm going to send Madam Pomfrey in to give you something to help you sleep."

He wanted to argue that he didn't need something to help him sleep, didn't even need to stay in the hospital wing overnight, but he didn't have the energy to do either. Instead he nodded and then added a reluctant, "Okay."

"I'll be back just after breakfast," Sirius said before leaning down and planting a kiss on Harry's forehead.

Harry nodded quietly. He slid down into a lying position, allowing his godfather to pull the heavy blanket up around his shoulders.

Sirius' hand grazed the top of Harry's head once more, gently ruffling his hair. "No more near death experiences for a while okay?"

His godfather's voice was light, some might even mistake it for cheerful, Harry however could clearly hear the underlining somberness and fear.

"Promise," Harry whispered back.

**TBC...**


	39. Chapter 39

**Author's Note: Enjoy! And feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it.**

* * *

Harry awoke early the next morning, earlier than he had in quite some time. The previous night his godfather had planted a kiss on his forehead before promising to return early in the morning. Before Sirius could leave though, the man had decided that he liked the idea of staying until Harry was soundly asleep better. Now, as Harry's eyes adjusted to the darkness of the large room he couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face. There was Sirius, asleep in a chair next to his bed. As much as he had wanted his godfather to stay, he hadn't asked him to do so. It would have been too childish, too immature for the young teenager who was constantly trying to prove his maturity. He would have rather sat in a day long Saturday detention with Snape than ask his godfather to stay with him in the hospital wing. Still, it appeared Sirius could read his thoughts. He knew that when his godfather woke, he would make up some excuse about how he wanted to stay. Sirius would say something about how worried he would have been had he left, putting the entire notion of staying completely on himself and for that Harry was thankful.

Harry grunted softly as he rolled on to his side. HIs body ached as he moved and as it did, it brought back the memories of the previous day. How he had fallen from the sky in front of everyone. How he had lost the game for his house. He had already had plenty to deal with in terms of embarrassment with Malfoy constantly bringing up the accidental magic and others still whispering behind his back about the night in the graveyard. The last thing he needed was another incident bringing unwanted attention to himself.

Sirius had said that he'd likely be in the hospital wing for a day or two and Harry held out hope that in that time the whole ordeal would blow over. He held out hope but if he were asked to bet on it he'd bet that there was no way in hell it actually would. There was no way Malfoy would let this opportunity slip by, not when it was really just the icing on the already rather large cake.

Ron's words from the previous day slipped into Harry's mind as he eyed his godfather, still sound asleep in the chair. He had to admit that his best mate was right; if he did the interview for The Quibbler he could clear up a lot of the rumors that were circulating about him. He could tell his side of the story.

He held his breath, bracing himself for the pain, as he rolled back over onto his back. He wanted to talk to Mr. Lovegood but he intended to keep the promise he had made to himself, he wasn't going to sneak around behind Sirius' back or lie to him anymore.

And honestly how could he?

This was the man who was currently sleeping in a chair because he had sensed that Harry didn't want to be alone in the hospital wing. This was the man who after Harry treated him horribly for days forgave him and dropped it with hardly any punishment at all. This was the man who was constantly making Harry his favorite meals, allowing him to fly the day away, and spoiling him with day trips to Diagon Alley. Sirius was the one who was always in his corner, helping and supporting him with whatever it was he needed.

Somewhere along the line, Sirius really had become a parent to him in every way except for the one that really didn't matter. The last thing Harry wanted to do was repay his godfather by breaking any rules. As far as Harry was concerned those days were over. He was tired of getting into trouble. It was a horrible feeling when Sirius was cross with him and even worse when he was disappointed and Harry was done with experiencing that feeling.

Still, an interview with The Quibbler could help solve a lot of his problems.

When he had initially tried to talk to Sirius about it, his godfather had been dead set against the idea but Harry was beginning to wonder if perhaps there was a way around that.

Harry looked over at his godfather as he heard the man stir. Seconds later this eyes slowly opened.

"You stayed."

Sirius nodded sheepishly. "I thought it was for the best. What if something happened and you needed to reach me in the middle of the night and couldn't do so?"

Harry smiled a small smile. "Thanks Sirius."

The smile was returned. "How are you feeling this morning? Are you feeling sore? Does your head hurt at all? Are you feeling nauseous?"

"A little sore," Harry answered honestly.

As if his words had summoned her from thin air, Madam Pomfrey whipped the curtain surrounding his bed open.

"Well good morning boys," she smiled brightly. "How are we feeling today Mr. Potter?"

Had Sirius not been there, Harry would have told the witch that he was feeling loads better. He would have tried to convince her that all his aches and pains had subsided. He would have done whatever he could in his power to persuade her to allow him to leave the hospital wing and go back to his dormitory. But Sirius was there and under his watchful eye Harry told the truth.

"I'm a bit achy."

"I'll be right back with something for your pain Love," Madam Pomfrey grinned. "And what about you Mr. Black, something for your pain as well? Surely sleeping in a chair all night can't feel good."

"I'm fine," Sirius replied.

"Why in Merlin's name you didn't just transfigure that chair into a bed I'll never know," she said as she bustled away from them.

"Yeah why didn't you?" Harry asked. He was aware that at home Sirius often refrained from using magic because he claimed it made people lazy to do everything with the wave of a wand but Madam Pomfrey was right, sleeping in a bed would have been much more comfortable.

"I honestly planned on it," Sirius replied as he stretched his neck. "Clearly I fell asleep before I had a chance to do so."

"You could have gone home and slept in your own bed," Madam Pomfrey interjected as she returned. She stood next to Harry pouring a large tablespoon of potion from a vial. "Surely you know I'm capable of running my own hospital wing as well as caring for the students in it."

"Of course I do Poppy," Sirius gave her a reassuring smile. "I've simply become such a worried old parent that I couldn't help but spend the night."

Madam Pomfrey smiled kindly in Sirius' direction. "Which is certainly understandable. Mr. Potter here gave us all quite the fright." She turned her attention over to Harry as she lowered the spoon until it was level with his mouth. "Here you are dearie."

Harry made a disgusted face as the odor of the potion hit his nose at full force. Glancing up he gave his godfather a pitiful look which was met with a no-nonsense stare clearly telling him to obey the old nurse.

Harry leaned forward a bit and opened his mouth swallowing the entire tablespoon in one large gulp.

"Good boy," Madam Pomfrey smiled cheerfully. "He certainly listens better than you did at his age Mr. Black...and better than his father did as well."

She chuckled softly at Sirius before turning her attention back to Harry.

"Rest for you today Mr. Potter. I'll be back in a few hours to check on you."

Harry nodded in agreement as he settled back down into his pillows.

"That goes for you as well Mr. Black," Madam Pomfrey continued. "Be sure to allow him to rest a bit at some point."

"He won't be getting out of that bed on my watch," Sirius assured her as she strode across the room, towards another set of curtains.

Sirius reached out and in one quick movement, Harry's curtain was shut once more giving the two of them ample privacy.

"You didn't listen to her when you were a kid?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

"I listened plenty, she's getting older you know I'm sure her memory is just going."

Harry smirked at these words. "Uh- huh."

"Besides some of her potions taste as if they were brewed in a dirty old sock."

"You just made me take one!" Harry accused in an amused voice.

"Ah but that's entirely different."

"Different how?"

"I'm the parent now Pup," Sirius smiled. "I am no longer the teenager avoiding the medicine and you are actually quite injured."

"I guess." Harry had to admit to himself that although he had taken the potion less than five minutes ago it was already beginning to work. The muscles which had been sore no longer were. He took the opportunity to roll over onto his side pain free. "Hey Sirius," he said now facing his godfather. "Can we talk?"

"Of course we can."

"Promise you'll hear me out and not get cross at me?"

Sirius shook his head softly. "I promise I'll hear you out but I can't promise I won't get cross until I know what it is you've done."

"I didn't do anything," Harry replied. "I just want to talk to you about something."

"That something being?"

"The Quibbler," Harry admitted without a moment of hesitation. He paused for a moment to see Sirius' reaction and mentally cringed as he saw his godfather's entire stature change. "I didn't talk to Luna, I promise I didn't," Harry said quickly. He wasn't sure what Sirius was thinking but he certainly didn't want the man to think he was confessing to doing so.

"Which is extremely fortunate for you," Sirius replied. He was silent for several moments, his mouth in a tight line before it softened a bit and he spoke once more. "We discussed this Harry...weeks ago...we decided it wasn't for the best."

"You decided," Harry said in a voice he hoped was coming out calmly and rationally.

Sirius ran a hand down his face before he nodded once. "Okay, I decided."

Silence reigned for several long moments before Sirius spoke once more.

"In case you've failed to notice Harry I am the adult here and sometimes I do have to make the decisions for you." His voice wasn't angry but simply tired.

"I know that...of course I know that," Harry said. "I just wanted to talk about it again. You did say we would do that."

"If I recall correctly what I said was that we would re-visit the topic in a year not in several weeks."

Harry was silent for a moment. It was important to him that he collected his thoughts before he spoke again. He didn't want to lose his temper. He didn't want this conversation to end in a row.

When he finally did speak he made sure his voice was at a normal decibel. "The article Rita Skeeter did...people still talk about it. Malfoy and his friends are the only ones who really say anything specifically to me but I hear people whisper things as I walk by. People think I lied about everything that happened in the graveyard Sirius. I just thought that maybe if I could do the interview then people might read it and if they read it they'd see my side of things. They might start to believe the truth."

Sirius sighed before swallowing hard.

"If you really think it's a bad idea then I understand that and I'll listen but I just thought maybe if I explained to you why I want to do it..." Harry trailed off.

Sirius' eyebrows rose at his godson's words. There was certainly an improvement in the way in which Harry was approaching this subject. The teenager had yet to yell or display any cheekiness at all.

"This is important to you?"

Harry nodded into his pillow. "Yes."

"Allow me some time to think it over okay?"

Another nod; accompanied by a small smile.

"Madam Pomfrey was right, you should rest for a bit," Sirius said as he stood up. He walked the two short steps to Harry's side and dropping an arm, ruffled the boys hair for a moment before leaning over and placing a single kiss on his forehead. "I'm going to go visit with Remus before his morning classes' start and then I'll be back."

Harry nodded as he allowed his godfather to pull the heavy blanket up around his chin.

"Quite clever of you to ask me to rethink something while I'm already feeling bad for you considering your current predicament," Sirius smirked. "Definitely a James move."

Harry grinned widely at these words. "Yeah?"

"Mmhmm," Sirius mused. "Now rest up. I'll see you in just a little while."


	40. Chapter 40

**Author's Note: Enjoy! And feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it :)**

* * *

Sirius walked down the long corridor. As he turned the corner to head towards the Defense classroom he stretched his neck, feeling it crack with satisfaction. He almost wished he had taken up Poppy's offer and accepted the potion but some things never changed and from the looks on his godson's face, the taste of the potion was one of those things.

Sirius cringed to himself at the memories of that horrid flavor. He actually felt like quite the traitor whenever he made Harry take any kind of potion, but specifically the one that was for severe aches and pains as Sirius remembered that one as being the most dreadful.

His thoughts about potions came to an abrupt stop as he pulled open Remus' classroom door to find his mate sitting at his desk, a stack of papers before him.

"Having fun?"

"Grading is never fun," Remus replied. He dropped his quill and pushed the papers to the side. "How is Harry doing?"

"Okay…resting at the moment under Poppy's watchful eye."

"A little rest never hurt anyone," Remus smiled.

Sirius crossed the room and perched on the edge of a table across from Remus.

"And how are you doing?" Remus continued. "He gave us quite a scare."

"Sometimes it feels like there is never a dull moment," Sirius admitted with a tired smile.

"Although I have to say that I am pleased that this time it was pure accident and not Harry putting himself into a dangerous situation."

Remus smiled. "He seems to be having a quiet school year, compared to others that is."

Sirius nodded in agreement. "I keep waiting for the message that something has happened but it doesn't appear to be coming which I couldn't be more grateful about. I hate to say it for fear that I'll jinx it but I think Harry may actually be growing up…maturing."

"I would agree with that assessment completely," Remus replied. "I've seen it in my classroom as well as in the halls. Harry is certainly a more mature version of himself."

"He just spoke to me about wanting to do something and for the first time ever he made note that if I don't allow him to do as he wishes he'll understand and respect my decision."

"Well that's undoubtedly an improvement over rolling his eyes and insisting he get his way," Remus chuckled. "May I ask what he's asking permission to do?"

"The interview with the Quibbler."

"Are you going to permit him to do so?"

"I'm honestly not sure yet," Sirius answered. "Harry has expressed the desire to tell his side of the story. According to him, several students have brought up the article Rita Skeeter wrote. Harry says that people think he lied about everything and he wishes to tell his side of the story."

"He isn't exaggerating when he says that other students talk about the article. I've refrained from getting involved in it because I honestly think that children should work out their own problems when possible but I have heard talk in the halls, some of his peers do think that he is lying."

Sirius felt the anger and frustration rise in him at Remus' words.

"Why on earth anyone would think that someone would lie about such a thing is beyond me."

"Surely you remember how children, especially teenagers, are," Remus replied. "I doubt any of them actually believe he lied; one person mentions it and the rest of them agree out of sheer boredom and the want for something to talk about."

Sirius mulled the words over before he nodded. He could remember being at Hogwarts and what Remus had painted was an accurate description of how rumors usually started. "I don't so much have an issue with him doing an interview as I do with the backlash that may come from it. If people are already speaking about the situation in an ill manner I hardly want it to get any worse."

* * *

Harry rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. Sleeping was the least of his concerns at the moment. Sirius had actually said he would think about letting him do the interview. As far as Harry was concerned, that was huge. He wasn't sure what had caused such a change in feelings for his godfather aside from the fact that Harry was in the hospital wing and the man could very likely just be taking pity on him. If that was the case though, Harry didn't mind one bit.

He closed his eyes for a second and re-opened them to find Ron standing next to him. Harry nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of the red head.

"Sorry," Ron muttered sheepishly at his best mate's reaction. "I thought you were asleep."

"It's okay."

"How long are you in here for?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know… if Madam Pomfrey and Sirius get their way until at least tomorrow."

"Hermione was going mental over breakfast. She says she's going to visit all your teachers and get all your homework for you today. She'll bring it up before dinner I'm sure."

"Great," Harry replied in an unenthusiastic voice.

"And there's something else," Ron continued. "Even worse than homework."

"Worse than homework?"

Ron nodded with a bothered look on his face. "Malfoy is telling people he knocked you off your broom."

"What!" Harry nearly yelled as he bolted into a sitting position. "That's a bloody lie! He wasn't even anywhere near me!"

"People don't really believe him but he's still saying so and..." Ron trailed off as Madam Pomfrey whipped back the curtain around Harry's bed.

"That's enough out of you Mr. Weasley! Imagine coming in here and upsetting my patient in such a manner," Madam Pomfrey scolded causing Ron to blush. "Off you go!"

Ron gave Harry an apologetic look before dipping past Madam Pomfrey and rushing out of the hospital wing.

"And as for you Mr. Potter you were instructed to rest, not scream profanities in my hospital wing!"

"Sorry," Harry offered in a small voice.

Madam Pomfrey gave him one last disapproving look before turning and walking away, pushing the curtain closed behind her.

Harry made an annoyed face as he rolled over onto his side. He was beginning to get really tired of being stuck in a bed for hours on end with absolutely nothing to do and now thanks to Madam Pomfrey absolutely no one to talk to.

He had hoped that Ron would have hung out for a bit, helped pass the time, but clearly that wasn't going to happen.

For a moment Harry debated just getting up and going. He had done that two years ago, right after the ordeal with the stone. Madam Pomfrey has been insistent that he stay in bed for days recuperating from the whole mess. Harry had listened for the first two days but then he had had enough. He had waited until the old witch was busy with something else and he had just gotten up and gone for a walk. He hadn't gotten caught either. Actually, he'd just made it back to his bed before Madam Pomfrey stopped in with more medicine for him.

This was all before Sirius though.

His godfather would never be okay with him doing such a thing. In fact, Harry couldn't think of something that Sirius would be less okay with at the moment.

He knew it was for his own good. If he was completely honest with himself he would admit that after sneaking out of his bed two years ago he did feel a hundred times more sore and achy than he probably would have otherwise.

Harry sighed as he rolled over once more, this time lying on his back. Maybe he could talk to Sirius about getting out of the hospital wing early...before he lost his mind to boredom.

* * *

"So what did you say?"

"Huh?" Harry pulled himself up into a sitting position, leaning back against his pillows. His godfather had just returned and he was anxious to see if Sirius had an answer to the question he had asked earlier.

"Poppy just pulled me aside and spoke to me about some profanity," Sirius said in a calm voice. "She was quite somber about it actually. She seemed to think it was my fault you spoke that way."

"I said Malfoy is a bloody liar," Harry admitted without any hesitation at all. "Ron said he's telling people he knocked me off my broom." He felt the anger and aggravation rising in him once more.

Sirius' brow furrowed as he eyed his godson. "I don't know why you let him get to you like that," Sirius said in a soft voice. "Anyone who saw the game would know that that wasn't true. He wasn't anywhere near you when you fell."

Harry shrugged silently.

"I know you don't like him and I hardly blame you for feeling that way but allowing him to get to you like that will never benefit you in the long run. I can promise you that."

Silence reigned for a moment before Harry looked up at his godfather.

"Sorry I got you in trouble with Madam Pomfrey."

"It's fine," Sirius smirked. "I'm sure she's already forgotten about it. Just watch yourself around her in the future; she is strict when it comes to things like that."

Harry nodded in appreciation. He was happy that Sirius didn't seem to be cross with him over his slip of words. He hadn't really expected him to though. He knew his godfather well enough to know he would have to say a lot worse than what he had to get into trouble for it.

"How's Remus?" Harry asked as his godfather sat down in the chair he had slept in.

"Remus is good. I believe he is teaching a class now."

"My class," Harry nodded. "Ron said that Hermione will be bringing me my homework later."

"Lucky you," Sirius gave his godson a playful smile.

Harry returned the smile. He wanted so badly to ask Sirius about the Quibbler and whether he had had time to think it over but he didn't want to push his luck. He knew he was asking a lot and the last thing he wanted was to annoy his godfather and make him answer too hastily.

"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked as he leaned back in the chair making himself comfortable.

Harry shrugged. "Okay I guess. I'm not really sore or anything. I could actually probably go back to my dormitory tonight."

"Afraid not Pup," Sirius said in a gentle voice. "Poppy and I already spoke about it and you're stuck here until tomorrow at the earliest."

Harry felt his shoulders slump a considerable amount at these words but he fought the urge to argue or whine.

"Sorry but I'm not sure you realize just how far you fell or how lucky you are that you're only experiencing a bit of soreness."

"No, I know," Harry replied. "It just gets kind of boring just sitting here in bed all day."

"I'm sure you'll have visitors later to keep you busy as well as the homework Hermione is bringing you."

"Yeah," Harry agreed in a bored voice.

"Another twenty four hours won't kill you Pup," Sirius replied. "Besides I have something to speak with you about that may occupy your mind for a bit."

"The Quibbler?" The question escaped Harry's mouth before he could stop it from doing so.

Sirius nodded once. "Yes, The Quibbler." The man paused for a moment causing Harry to nearly yell in anticipation. "I thought about what you said and your reasons for wanting to do the interview and I have to say that I understand how you feel Harry, I really do. If I was in your position I would certainly want to tell my side of the story."

"But?" Harry asked softly. He recognized the tone of his godfather's voice. He had a pretty good feeling that there was a "but" coming. Some reason that Sirius didn't want him to do the interview. Something that would be completely unfair and he would just have to be quiet and take it because he wasn't about to start a row over it.

Sirius shook his head. "No buts…I understand and if you really want to do it you can but I want to be present while it's taking place."

A small smile spread across Harry's face. "Really?"

"Really," Sirius nodded. "Though I do want to point out to you that one of the main reasons I am allowing you to do this is because you were so mature in the manner in which you asked."

"I thought that maybe if I didn't act like a git there would be a better chance you'd say yes."

"A clever observation," Sirius nodded with a smile. "And one that you might want to try and remember in the future."

"So when can I do the interview?" Harry asked in an excited voice.

"I was thinking over the Christmas holiday. Of course I'll need to get in touch with Xenophilius and make sure he is able to meet with us then though I have a feeling he'll make the time."

Another smile broke out as Harry looked up at his godfather. "Thanks Sirius."

Sirius returned the smile. "You're welcome. I feel like it's the least I can do. You've been behaving beautifully this school term and I know you aren't thrilled with a lot of what has taken place…with the move to Grimmauld Place."

Harry shrugged silently. He hadn't wanted to talk about this though he knew it would eventually come up. How could it not? It was weeks since Sirius had moved their things over and Harry had yet to step foot in the place. It was peculiar to him how when it had been the home of the Order meetings he would have given anything to be there and now that it was his home he wanted nothing to do with it.

"I'm not upset with you about it," Sirius spoke gently. "I understand how you must feel Pup…it isn't home to you. I promise you we will make it our home though and it won't be that bad. You trust that I can do that don't you?"

"Yes," Harry nodded without a moment of hesitation. "I trust you."

**TBC...**


	41. Chapter 41

**Author's Note: Enjoy**

* * *

"That's wicked! I knew if you just told Sirius you wanted to do it that he'd lighten up and let you."

Harry raised an eyebrow at his best mate. He was about to point out that he didn't **tell **his godfather anything but Hermione spoke before he could.

"I have to admit that if Sirius is okay with it doing the interview will likely be very beneficial to you. I mean I'm sure there will still be some people that won't listen to reason but I think quite a few will change their perspective on the whole situation."

The three friends were sitting in the Gryffindor common room. Earlier that morning, after answering about a hundred different questions for Madam Pomfrey, Harry had finally been released from the hospital wing.

"I don't really care if people believe me or not," Harry replied. "I just want the chance to tell my side of the story."

"If people were going around calling me a bloody liar I'd want to tell my side of things too," Ron agreed with a sympathetic look.

Hermione made a disapproving face at Ron's choice of words before standing up. She picked up her pile of books.

"We're going to be late for potions."

"Harry doesn't even have to go," Ron informed her. "Madam Pomfrey told him he could skip today if he wasn't feeling up to it."

"You aren't going to are you?" She gave Harry a disapproving look. "I mean you're absolutely fine and-"

"And what?" Ron cut her off. His voice sounded shocked by her words. "He has permission to skip potions wouldn't you..." He trailed off as Hermione shook her head.

"No I wouldn't," she spoke truthfully.

"Relax," Harry said as he pulled himself to a standing position. He leaned over and picked up his own pile of books. "I'm going to go."

Ron's mouth dropped open at these words.

Truthfully, Harry had considered skipping his classes for the day. It wasn't so much that he minded the actual class but rather who he was sure to see there. After thinking it over though he had decided that one more day wouldn't make a difference and that his best option was likely to see Malfoy and just get it over with. He just wished that Snape's classroom wasn't the destination for their meeting.

"If I don't I'll just have to make up the work later," Harry explained. "It's not like Snape won't make me, you know that."

Hermione smiled smugly at Ron before turning and walking towards the door which in turn caused Ron to make a face behind her back.

"You have a free pass to miss classes and you're still going to go…I just don't get it," Ron muttered to himself as he picked up his books and followed Harry's lead in trailing after Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "I missed yesterday's classes already."

"A free pass," Ron repeated as the three of them walked through the portrait.

"Not everyone wants to miss class Ron," Hermione pointed out. She turned to Harry and smiled approvingly.

Fortunately for Harry, Ron chose to ignore her comment and instead backtracked to the earlier news.

"So when can you do the interview?"

"I think over Christmas holiday," Harry replied as they walked down a staircase. "Sirius is going to talk to Luna's dad and see if he'll be free then."

"I'm sure he'll make the time," Hermione noted.

"That's what Sirius said too."

The trio rounded the corner leading them to the potions classroom. For the past few moments, Draco Malfoy had been the farthest thought from Harry's mind, his brain once again consumed with the interview his godfather was finally permitting him to do. However all the thoughts of his nemesis came rushing back the moment he spotted Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle standing outside of the classroom.

"Whatever he says just ignore him," Hermione hissed under her breath.

She gave Harry a small encouraging smile just as Malfoy spotted them.

"Well if it isn't Potter," Malfoy said loudly. "Recovered from your injury I see."

"Shut it Malfoy," Harry replied as he attempted to pass.

Malfoy stepped in front of him though, blocking the entrance to the classroom.

"You might want to watch how you speak to me," Malfoy said in a low voice. "You wouldn't want me to knock you off your broom again now would you?"

"You didn't knock me off my broom," Harry retorted loudly. "And no one with half a mind would believe that you did you dumb arse!"

"I believe that he did," Crabbe replied.

"Well that would explain it," Hermione said in a pretentious voice. "You clearly don't even have half a brain."

"Shut up you filthy little mud-"

But Harry didn't want for Malfoy to finish what he was saying. He didn't think of the consequences or what his godfather would say…or do. He didn't think of the fact that Snape was likely only a few feet away from them. He was tired of being pushed around by Malfoy and he wasn't about to let him get away with calling Hermione that horrible word.

The thought of his wand resting in his pocket didn't even occur to him. His books fell to the floor as he reared back and punched Malfoy square in the mouth.

He heard Hermione shriek before yelling at him to stop.

"What is the meaning of this waywardness?" Snape's voice thundered. "Potter explain yourself!"

Harry looked at Malfoy who was now clutching his face.

"He attacked me!" The blonde boy said, his voice sounded close to tears.

"I didn't," Harry retorted. "He stated it and-"

"To the Headmaster's office at once," Snape cut him off abruptly. "Fighting is not tolerated!"

Harry didn't respond to Snape's yelling instead he picked up his books, turned and walked away. He locked eyes with his friends as he did so, Ron giving him a sympathetic smile while Hermione surprisingly wasn't looking at him disapprovingly but rather thankfully.

Harry walked slowly towards the Headmaster's office. He didn't regret hitting Malfoy one bit but he was sure that Dumbledore wouldn't agree with his feelings.

He stopped in front of the gargoyle, suddenly realizing that he didn't know the current password.

Hoping it would work, he said the last one he was aware of but the gargoyle didn't move.

"Professor Snape sent me," he tried hoping that maybe the statue would recognize the words and cooperate with him but nothing happened.

Harry muttered a few choice words that would cause his godfather to lecture him into next year if he had heard.

Then suddenly, the gargoyle shifted revealing the staircase.

For a moment, Harry stood dumbfounded trying to figure out what had caused the change before he rushed up the staircase. The last thing he needed was for the statue to change its mind and shift back to its original resting spot.

He paused outside the Headmaster's door before raising a hand and knocking once.

The door swung open to reveal Dumbledore sitting at his desk.

"Harry," Dumbledore gave him a small smile as Harry walked into the office. "Have a seat." He gestured to an empty chair across from him. "I just received word from Professor Snape that you would be coming."

Harry remained silent as he crossed the room and slid into the empty chair.

"Fighting in the halls I hear?"

Harry nodded, confirming the accusation. There was no point in denying his behavior.

Dumbledore shook his head sadly. Harry noticed several of the portraits on the walls giving him disapproving looks.

"Professor Snape is giving you a detention this evening for your actions," Dumbledore informed him in a despondent voice. "Do you wish to explain your actions?"

For a moment Harry considered telling the Headmaster exactly what had happened but he quickly changed his mind.

"No Sir," he shook his head.

"Very well," Dumbledore replied. "You will not be receiving punishment from me personally as I feel detention is punishment enough, however, Professor Snape does not want you to return to his class this afternoon." Dumbledore paused for a moment giving Harry a sympathetic look as he did. "Your godfather asked that I kept him informed this school term given the events of last year. Therefore he has already been notified of your actions and requested that I send you home for the afternoon."

It was moments like this that Harry absolutely despised magic. It had taken him all of five minutes to get from outside Snape's classroom to Dumbledore's office and Sirius already knew everything. Harry wouldn't even have been surprised if Rita Skeeter was already writing an article about the fight and how it was another cry for attention from the famous Harry Potter.

"Home?"

Harry mentally kicked himself for sounding so stupid.

"To Grimmuald Place," Dumbledore replied as he stood.

Harry watched as the man walked towards the fireplace and picked up a handful of floo powder.

"I have a lot of homework to make up," Harry said. "Maybe I could just go later and-"

"His request is not an option Harry," Dumbledore said softly. He smiled understandingly.

Harry pushed himself up to a standing position. He could nearly feel his ears burning off of his head. He felt absolutely ridiculous. Imagine acting so dumb over going home.

He stepped into the fireplace and seconds later stepped out into a large parlor.

His godfather was sitting in an armchair, leaning back, his eyes closed. If it wasn't for the room itself being completely different, Harry would have sworn they were back in their old house. The look of his godfather brought back the familiar feeling.

"Hey," Sirius said softly. His eyes opened as Harry stepped out of the fireplace. He sat up straighter.

Harry instantly tried to read the man's expression. He had been trying too hard to be mature…well behaved. He didn't want one stupid spat with Malfoy to muck that all up. He didn't want to be in trouble with his godfather.

Harry crossed the room and sat down on a large couch.

"What happened?" Sirius asked when Harry made no attempt to respond to him. "Dumbledore said you punched Malfoy in the face?"

"He deserved it!" Harry nearly yelled. "He was being an arse and-"

"Whoa," Sirius interrupted him. "Don't yell at me please."

Harry heard the sternness in his godfather's voice and immediately felt his insides turn to jelly.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

"It wasn't my fault," Harry said in a much lower voice. He could feel the tears in his throat, threatening to fall and he hated himself for them. He was thirteen, not a sodding toddler, he wasn't supposed to cry.

Sirius was silent for several long moments as he reeled his temper back in. He had decided before Harry got there that he was going to remain calm and allow his godson to tell his side of the story. He had reasoned with himself that with the way Harry had been acting over the past few days there was likely a good reason for the fight. He had promised himself that he wasn't going to tan his godson's backside unless he absolutely saw no other way…unless Harry had ignored every warning he had given him and had gone looking for a fight. Now he was reminding himself of those thoughts, reminding himself to talk to Harry before handing out punishment.

"What happened?" Sirius asked once more. He could hear that his own voice was much calmer and he was thankful for it.

Harry said nothing. Instead he shook his head.

"Now you aren't speaking to me?"

A silent shrug.

"Was this because of the game the other day? Was he saying he knocked you off your broom again?" Sirius tried.

Silence as Harry stared defiantly at the rug.

"Listen Harry I am trying very hard to remain calm and restrain from punishing you but if you don't start talking you aren't going to leave me much choice." Sirius said the words in a calm voice, yet a somber one.

"I don't want you to be cross at me," Harry finally said after several long moments of silence. "Everything was going so good and now this…I don't want you to be angry and I don't want to be in trouble."

"I never said you were in trouble," Sirius pointed out.

Harry gave his godfather a pointed look.

"Do you really believe I'd punish you if I knew the whole story and it wasn't your fault as you claim?"

"Well…no," Harry admitted. His eyes traveled from the carpet to lock with his godfather's. "It really wasn't my fault…not really."

"Explain it to me," Sirius urged softly.

Another few minutes of silence. Harry's eyes roamed back down the dark blue carpet.

"_Harry James."_

It was a final warning and Harry knew it. His godfather's tone literally made his stomach flop.

"It started because he said that he knocked me off my broom," Harry admitted in a quiet voice. "That isn't why I hit him though." Slowly Harry raised his head, looking at his godfather. "I hit him because he called Hermione a Mudblood."

Sirius sighed softly as he ran his hand down his face.

"I know it was wrong to do but I just couldn't let him get away with it…not this time."

Now it was Sirius' turn to be silent as he mulled over the words his godson had spoken. He had to admit to himself that had he been in Harry's shoes in his youth he would have likely done the same thing. Mr. Potter wouldn't have stood for it of course, fighting was something he hardly condoned or tolerated.

Sirius glanced up at his godson. The child already looked close to tears. It was obvious he was sorry for his actions. It was also obvious to Sirius that the young teenager expected punishment and Sirius could guess of what sort.

"Come here Pup."

If it wasn't for the use of his nickname Harry likely would have stayed rooted to his spot refusing to move an inch towards his godfather for punishment. The nickname struck a chord in him though, and in that moment he didn't care if Sirius was going to punish him or not as long as he could be near the man.

In just four short steps Harry was in front of his godfather.

Sirius leaned forward draping both arms over his godson's shoulders. His right hand gently brushed the back of the boy's unruly head of hair. His head dropped forward, his forehead resting on Harry's.

"Stay away from Malfoy."

Harry nodded silently.

"And when he angers you just walk away." Sirius paused for a moment. "I know that is easier said than done but honestly walking away from what angers you is a trait that would serve you well to learn."

"Okay," Harry agreed softly.

"No more fighting…ever."

Another nod.

Sirius nodded in reply before slowly pulling his head away from his godson's. "Let me give you a proper tour of the house, and then you can head back to school for supper."

Harry smiled relieved by the fact that his godfather was obviously not cross in the least; relieved by the fact that he obviously wasn't going to be punished.

"Thanks Sirius," Harry responded softly.

Sirius smiled in reply as he walked towards the staircase. "Wait till you see what I've done with your bedroom."

**TBC...**


	42. Chapter 42

**Author's Note: I realize a lot of this chapter is very close to canon (nearly identical at times) but I felt this was an important part of the story so I didn't want to leave it out. Enjoy! And feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it.**

* * *

Harry walked down the spiral staircase and almost directly into Ron.

"You're back," the red head smiled widely before his smile quickly faded. "How'd things go with Dumbledore? Was he real mad?"

"He sent me home."

Ron's eyes widened at these words.

Harry shook his head. It didn't take a genius to see that his friend had clearly expected the same outcome that Harry had expected himself. "We just talked," Harry clarified. "Once I explained what he said…what he called Hermione, Sirius understood."

Ron breathed what appeared to be a sigh of relief.

"Where is Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Library," Ron replied with a roll of his eyes. "She could save herself a lot of walking time if she just moved her bed in there ya know?"

Harry snickered at his friend's words as the pair walked down the hallway.

"She's okay though?" Harry asked. He had hoped that Draco's words hadn't impacted her too much.

Ron nodded. "She seemed to be. She mostly seemed concerned with the Ancient Runes essay she has to do. She went to the library right after potions."

Harry nodded silently making a mental note to make sure Hermione was okay at supper, that was, if she showed up for supper. She tended to keep to herself when she was truly upset; a trait that Harry shared with her and could certainly understand.

"What did I miss in Potions?" Harry asked as the two rounded a corner and headed for the staircase. It wasn't until they stepped down the stairs that Harry realized how hungry he actually was. His stomach growled as he silently hoped there would be some sort of pie for dessert.

Ron shrugged. "Nothing important really. Hermione took a ton of notes for you." Ron paused long enough to make an annoyed face at these words. "Oh and after you left Snape told Malfoy he'd speak to him after class. Malfoy actually looked kind of worried or scared or something."

"Good."

Harry had already decided that if Snape asked what had happened he wasn't going to give him an answer. It didn't matter what Malfoy did. It was over…taken care of…and Harry wasn't a rat.

Ron nodded in agreement as the two stepped onto the main floor of the castle. "Wanna play a game of chess tonight? We're still working on seeing who the best out of three is." Ron reminded his friend referring to the ongoing competition they were attempting to have.

"I can't, Snape gave me detention."

"Git," Ron replied. Seconds later the red head opened his mouth once more, clarifying his words. "Snape I mean…not you."

Harry smiled as he nodded. "I know Ron."

The two boys entered the great hall to find Hermione already in her normal seat. Harry breathed a soft sigh of relief as he spotted her.

"How many detentions are you going to be made to serve?"

The question escaped her mouth the moment Harry slid into the seat across from her.

"Just one."

Hermione raised an eyebrow, clearly shocked by these words.

"I know…I expected more too; at least a week's worth."

"You didn't have to...I mean over something so stupid you didn't have to..." Hermione stumbled over her words searching for the correct way to phrase what she was trying to say.

Harry shook his head. "Forget it, its fine. Malfoy had it coming and Sirius wasn't even mad and-"

"Sirius?" Hermione asked in a concerned voice. "Sirius knows about all of this?"

Harry nodded. "Dumbledore sent me home. I mean Sirius wanted me to come home but it is fine really. I explained things, he isn't cross at all."

Hermione gave Harry a skeptical look. She was clearly having some trouble believing Harry's story.

"I promise," Harry said as he watched Ron help himself to several servings of mashed potatoes. "He wants me to come home on Saturday too, said that as long as Dumbledore doesn't mind you and Ron can come with me."

"To Grimmuald Place?" Ron nearly choked on his food.

"You've been there before," Hermione pointed out. She looked as if she was fighting her hardest not to make a face of absolute disgust at her red headed friends eating habits.

"Yeah in a bedroom we were forbidden to leave or under the cloak, never just hanging out."

Harry shrugged. Being there with Sirius hadn't felt that different to him. It also seemed as though now that the mystery of the place was wiped away so was most of the appeal.

"Has Sirius changed a lot of it?" Hermione asked.

"A bit," Harry responded. "It's a lot brighter. He said he and Kingsley got rid of a lot of dark objects. "

Ron's eyes grew wide at these words.

"My room is brilliant," Harry continued. "Sirius did it in Gryffindor colors and Tonks bewitched the ceiling, there is a Quidditch game going on constantly."

"Wicked," Ron breathed.

Harry shrugged. He had to agree with Ron's assessment his new room was pretty wicked. Still, it wasn't his old room in his old house that he had grown to love. He knew it wasn't his godfather's fault that they had to move but he couldn't help but think that if he wasn't currently trying so hard to be more adult, he'd like to throw a hell of a fit until Sirius gave in and moved them both back home.

"What time is your detention?" Hermione asked.

Despite the fact that she was talking to Harry, her head was turned, her attention completely elsewhere. Harry's eyes followed her lead, settling in on Snape who was standing, clearly done with his meal.

"I guess whenever I'm done eating…Dumbledore never gave me a time, he just said this evening."

"It's bloody stupid that you even have detention," Ron said through a mouthful of pie.

Hermione gave him a disapproving look. "He punched someone in the face."

"Just Malfoy," Ron shrugged, "no one important."

At the mention of the Slytherin, Harry glanced over at their table for the first time. He was surprised when he took note that Malfoy wasn't there.

"Wonder where he is," Hermione marveled.

That was another thing Harry loved about Hermione, she was often completely in sync with him without a word needing to be spoken.

"Probably off terrorizing someone somewhere," Harry replied. He took one last large spoonful of his chocolate pie, washing it down with a sizable swig of butterbeer. Snape had left the great hall nearly five minutes prior and Harry really just wanted to get this detention over with.

"We'll wait up for you," Hermione promised as Harry stood up.

Ron nodded in agreement as he reached for another large slice of cake.

Harry returned the gesture with a pitiful nod of his head before he turned and walked away from his friends.

The halls were practically deserted as he made his way down the staircase, towards the dungeons. Just as he did every time he had a detention with Snape, he contemplated not showing up at all. After all, it wasn't as if Snape specifically had told him that he had detention. Still, he knew that Dumbledore would remember telling him about it and he knew that Snape would be furious if he ignored his orders.

Harry sighed miserably as he stopped in front of Snape's office door. Raising his hand he knocked once and as he did the door slowly creaked open.

Harry stepped inside the large room to find it completely empty.

"Great," he muttered to himself in an annoyed voice. Snape had left the great hall long enough ago that he should have been in his office by now.

For a second Harry thought about going to the potions classroom instead but decided against it. Snape never carried out detentions anywhere but in his office. Harry could just imagine going off to find the man. He was sure that while he was gone Snape would show up and assume Harry was late and if Harry knew Snape at all then he know that no amount of explaining would fix that mess.

Harry muttered a few choice words before flopping into a chair.

He wanted this detention to be done and over with and now with Snape nowhere in sight the damn thing couldn't even start.

Five minutes passed, and then ten.

Harry kicked the leg of the table in front of him.

The large clock on the wall ticked away the minutes, taunting him loudly.

When Snape was fifteen minutes late Harry decided that the man had to have forgotten.

Harry pulled himself up out of the chair. He would go to Dumbledore and explain he decided. Surely if he told the Headmaster that Snape had never shown up that would be proof enough that he had waited.

He was nearly to the door when he spotted it out of the corner of his eye. It wasn't in its normal resting spot on its stand but rather, it was on a small table.

Harry approached it cautiously. A silvery light was shining out of it. As he got closer he saw whitish silver cloud-like contents moving around in side of it. In Harry's opinion, it looked as though someone had taken light and somehow made it in liquid. He was sure these were Snape's memories, floating around the surface.

As if acting on their own accord, Harry's hands ran down the sides of the stone basin.

He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of the door. He knew he shouldn't have been touching it. Snape wasn't there though and he clearly wasn't coming anytime soon.

Harry turned back around giving the pensive his attention once more. Completely enthralled by the cloud like contents, he leaned forward for a closer look.

His forehead hit the fluid but to Harry's surprise and amazement he didn't feel any wetness at all. The cloud like contents rippled as though they had been disturbed.

Not giving a thought to his actions, Harry leaned forward again this time allowing his entire face to touch the inside of the basin. When nothing horrific happened he leaned even farther in.

Suddenly he felt himself falling through cold blackness, spinning furiously as he went.

He was sure he would never stop falling and then just as quickly as it started…it stopped.

He was standing in the great hall. The four house tables that he was used to seeing were gone and instead there were hundreds of desks, all facing the same way. Each desk contained a student, their head bent as they wrote on a piece of parchment.

For a moment Harry felt the panic rise in him as he tried to figure out where he was exactly and how he would get back to where he was supposed to be. His brain however snapped to attention when he spotted what appeared to be a young Snape among the students.

Harry practically ran towards the man. For a split second he didn't care that the man was going to be furious with him. He didn't care that he was likely to be in a world of trouble.

"Professor Snape!" He called out as he approached the desk.

Snape made no effort to acknowledge him though.

"Professor Snape!" Harry tried once more.

But aside from the scratching of quills, the room remained silent.

Harry nearly screamed in frustration. He stood next to Snape's desk but the man didn't even look up at him.

It was then that Harry realized that he was clearly invisible.

He looked down at Snape's paper. The words across the top of it were large and bold, 'DEFENCE AGAINST THE DARK ARTS- ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL.'

So Snape had to be around fifteen or sixteen, not much older than Harry was.

Harry looked at his professor. His hand was moving at rapid speed, the look on his face one of pure concentration.

"Five more minutes!"

The voice made Harry jump. Looking up he saw Professor Flitwick's head moving between the desks near the front of the room. It was then that Harry spotted him.

A boy with very untidy black hair. A boy that Harry recognized even from the back. A boy that his godfather had a dozen pictures of.

Harry moved so quickly that had he been visible he easily would have knocked over several desks in his pursuit.

Harry could hear his heart beating loudly in his ears as he skidded to a stop in front of the desk and looked down at his fifteen year old father.

Excitement nearly exploded in his stomach. Harry felt as if he was looking at himself but with very small mistakes. They didn't share the same eye color, their noses were slightly different, and of course his father didn't have his scar.

James stopped writing and pushed his paper out in front of him. Harry watched as he quickly re-read what he had written and then after checking to see where Professor Flitwick was he turned and smiled widely.

A smile spread across Harry's face matching his father's when he realized who his father was smiling at. Just four seats behind him sat his godfather. Harry would have been able to spot him anywhere, Sirius looked nearly the same albeit much younger.

Sirius returned the smile and it took Harry a moment to remember his godfather could not see him.

Harry chuckled to himself as he noticed two of the girls seating near Sirius nearly drooling over him. He had to admit, even now, that his godfather was nothing if not handsome.

Harry's smile grew as he realized that next to one of the girls was Remus. He was completely absorbed in his exam, paying absolutely no attention to his father or godfather.

"Quills down please!" Professor Flitwick announced. "Please remain seated while I collect your parchment. Accio!"

Over a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and landed neatly on a large desk in the front of the room.

"Very well then you are free to go!"

Harry watched as his father jumped to his feet and within seconds was joined by both Sirius and Remus.

For a second Harry glanced over at Snape who was moving between the tables towards the door of the great hall. He looked as though he didn't have a friend in the world.

A gang of chattering girls was following Sirius, nearly tripping over themselves while doing so. Harry followed his father and friends as the three of them headed in the same direction Snape had.

"Did you like question ten Moony?" Sirius asked as they walked into the entrance hall.

"Loved it," Remus replied. "Give five signs that identify the werewolf. Brilliant question!"

Harry was thankful for the fact that they seemed to be following Snape. He was much more concerned with his father but he was pretty sure that if this was Snape's memory he had to stay within eyesight of his professor.

"Do you think you managed to get all the signs?" James asked. Harry could hear the mock concern in his voice.

"I think I did," Remus said seriously as they stepped out of the entrance and into the sunlight. "One: he's sitting on my chair. Two: he's wearing my clothes. Three: His name is Remus Lupin."

James and Sirius laughed loudly causing Harry's face to be in pain from how wide his grin went.

Harry quickly looked around for Snape and spotted hi m sitting under a tree. He had a textbook open in his lap and looked completely absorbed in his reading.

Harry felt panicky for a moment at the thought of leaving his dad but his fears subsided as his father, Sirius, and Remus stopped walking.

"I thought that paper was simple," he heard Sirius say. "I'll be surprised if I don't get "Outstanding" on it at least."

"Same," James agreed. He put his hand in his pocket and took out a struggling golden snitch.

"Where did you get that?" Remus asked. Harry could almost hear the disapproving tone in his voice.

"Nicked it," James admitted casually. "And don't look at me like that Moony it's no big deal."

Harry watched as his father allowed the snitch to fly so much as a foot away before seizing it again. His reflexes were excellent and Harry couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.

They walked less than another ten steps before stopping under the same tree that Harry often spent time under with Ron and Hermione.

The three of them threw themselves down on the grass. Harry looked over his shoulder and checked on Snape once more but the man hadn't moved an inch.

Harry stood to the left of his father, watching him intently.

Remus had taken a book out and was reading. Sirius was admiring the girls who had been following him only moments before. They were now at the edge of the lake, their socks and shoes discarded as they cooled off their feet. James was still playing with the snitch.

"Put that away will you?" Sirius finally asked in an annoyed voice.

James shrugged as he stuffed the snitch back into his pocket. "If it bothers you that much."

Harry got the distinct impression that if anyone else had asked, Remus included, he would have ignored their request completely.

"I'm bored," Sirius announced.

"We still have transfiguration," Remus said from before his book. "If you're bored you could test me."

Sirius nearly snorted at the words. "I don't need to look at that rubbish, I already know it all."

"This'll cheer you up Padfoot, look who it is," James said quietly.

Sirius' head turned. He became very still and then an evil smile overtook his face.

"Excellent," he said softly, "Snivellus."

Harry turned his head to follow his father and godfather's gaze. Snape was on his feet, stuffing his book back into his bag. As he began to walk away, Sirius and James stood up.

Remus remained seated. He was still staring down at his book but Harry could tell that he was not reading. Harry could also see the frown that had formed on his face.

"All right Snivellus?" James said loudly.

Snape reacted as though he had been expecting an attack. He instantly dropped his bag, reached into his robes, and had his wand halfway into the air before Harry could blink. James was faster though.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry heard his father yell.

Snape's wand flew into the air and landed nearly fifteen feet away from him. Sirius let out a bark of a laugh.

"Impedimenta!" He said pointing his wand at Snape, who was knocked off his feet halfway through a dive towards his own wand.

Students had begun to ignore their own conversations and activities in favor of watching the show.

Snape was lying on the ground, panting, as James and Sirius approached him.

Harry glanced back to see Remus still looking down at his book. His frown had increased ten-fold.

"How'd the exam go Snivelly?" James asked.

"I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment," Sirius said in a vicious voice. "There will be great grease marks all over it and they won't be able to read a word."

Several people laughed loudly. It didn't take a genius to see that Snape was clearly unpopular.

Snape was trying to get up but the jinx was still working on him. He struggled on the ground as if he was wrapped up in invisible ropes. A scream of mixed hexes and swear words came from his mouth but his wand was too far away for them to do any good.

"Language," Sirius admonished. The word sent a chill up Harry's spine. His godfather sounded so close to his adult-self scolding his godson.

"Wash out your mouth," James said coldly. "Scourgify!"

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Snape's mouth at once. He was gagging loudly, nearly choking.

"Leave him ALONE!"

James and Sirius immediately turned around.

It was one of the girls from the lake edge. She had thick dark red hair and green eyes.

Harry recognized her instantly.

"All right Evans?" James smiled. Harry noticed that his voice was suddenly pleasant and much more mature.

"Leave him alone," Lily repeated. She was looking at James as though she loathed him. "What has he done to you?"

"Well," James smiled, "it's more of the fact that he exists, if you know what I mean."

Many of the students that surrounded them laughed but Lily didn't and Harry noticed that Remus didn't either.

"You think you're so funny but you're just an arrogant bully Potter. Leave him alone!"

"I will if you'll go out with me Evans," James said. "Go out with me and I'll never bother old Snivelly again."

The jinx was wearing off of Snape, he was inching towards his wand, spitting out soapsuds as he did.

"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid!"

"Oi bad luck Prongs," Sirius said briskly. He turned his attention back to Snape but he was just a second too late.

Snape had directed his wand straight at James, there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of James' face, splattering his robes with blood. Another flash of light later, Snape was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny, pallid legs and a pair of greying underpants.

Many people in the crowd cheered. Sirius and James roared with laughter.

Lily, whose furious expression had twitched for an instant as though she was doing to smile, yelled at James, "Let him down!"

"Your wish is my command," James replied. He jerked his wand upwards and Snape fell into a crumpled heap on the ground.

"Pertificus Totalus," Sirius said lazily causing Snape to kneel over again, rigid as a board.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Lily shouted. She had her own wand out now and Harry noted that both his father and godfather eyed it warily.

"Take the curse off of him," she demanded.

James sighed before turning towards Snape and muttering the counter-curse.

"There you go," he said as Snape struggled to his feet. "You're lucky Evans was here Snivellus-"

"I don't need help from filthy little Mudbloods like her!"

Lily blinked. Harry saw the same hurt in his mother's eyes that he had seen in Hermione's in the past.

"Fine," she said coolly. "I won't bother in the future."

"Apologize to her!" James roared at Snape as he pointed his wand threateningly at him.

"I don't want you to make him apologize; you are just as bad as he is!"

"What?" James yelped. "I'd never call you a…a…you-know-what!"

"Messing up your hair because you think it looks cool to look like you've just gotten off your broomstick, showing off with that stupid snitch, picking on people just because you are bored and you think you can…I'm surprised your broomstick can get off the ground with your fat head on it. You make me sick!"

With those final words she turned on her heel and hurried away.

"Evans!" James shouted after her. "Evans!"

She didn't turn around though.

"What is with her?" James asked.

"I'd say she thinks you're a bit of a git," Sirius replied. "She thinks you're a bit conceited as well mate."

James made an annoyed face and then there was another flash of bright light. Snape was upside down once more.

"Who wants to see Snivelly's pants come off?" James smiled brightly.

Harry looked back at Remus. His favorite professor had still made no effort to move but Harry had only seen him so furious one other time and it had involved Harry's name turning up in the goblet of fire.

Harry looked back at his father who was smiling brightly. Sirius was laughing loudly beside him but whatever had been said to cause such laughter Harry had missed.

Suddenly, there was a tight pincer-like grip on his arm. Harry whipped his head to see who had hold of him and saw a fully grown, adult-sized Snape standing right beside him white with rage.

"Having fun?"

Harry felt the blood drain from his face as he shook his head. He wanted to explain that he hadn't meant to end up in his memory and that he would have left but didn't know how to. He wanted to tell Snape that he felt horrible for what he was seeing…what his father and godfather had done.

He couldn't speak though instead the early summer day around him began evaporating. He was floating upwards through icy blackness. Snape hadn't loosened his grip the slightest bit and it was taking everything Harry had in him not to moan in pain.

Seconds later the pair was back in Snape's office. Only then did Snape release his grip on Harry's arm, nearly throwing the boy out of the room.

"Get out," he hissed in a deadly low voice.

**TBC...**


	43. Chapter 43

**Author's Note: Enjoy!**

* * *

Harry landed with a thud on the cold, hard concrete dungeon floor. He scrambled to his feet but he was too slow for Snape and before he even had a chance to speak, the man's office door had swung shut.

Before he could give himself even a moment to reconsider his actions, Harry knocked loudly and when he received no reply he banged his fists against the door even louder.

"Professor Snape!

The words came out of him in a desperate yell but there was no reply.

"Please," Harry tried. "Let me explain!"

He wasn't sure why he felt so strongly about it but he was frantic to explain what had happened to Snape. To explain that he felt sick over what he had seen.

After several long moments of knocking, his knuckles were too sore to continue and Snape still hadn't made so much as a peep.

Scowling angrily at the door, Harry turned on the heel of his trainer and headed back towards his dormitory.

With every step he took Harry could feel the anger rising in him. He couldn't believe how is dad had acted...how Sirius had acted. He couldn't believe that Sirius had the gall to nearly punish him for hitting Malfoy when what he had done to Snape had been so, so much worse.

Harry took the stairs two at a time, skidded to a stop in front of the Fat Lady and literally yelled the password at her causing her to give him a disapproving look. He didn't care though. The only emotion he had enough room for at the moment was anger.

"Harry!" Hermione said in a shocked voice as he entered the common room. "You're back early!"

"That was the fastest detention Snape's ever made you serve," Ron observed.

"I didn't serve detention," Harry muttered. He ripped off his robes and threw them onto a chair.

It was this action that caused Ginny, who was sitting alone reading, to abandon her book and take notice.

"What happened?" The red head asked softly as she joined Hermione on the couch.

"What happened to your arm?" Hermione asked in a concerned voice.

Harry glanced down at his arm to see a large bruise forming.

"Oh Snape grabbed me and-"

"Snape did that to you?" Ginny asked in a disgusted voice.

"Yeah but it's no big deal I-"

"No big deal?" Hermione interrupted him. "A teacher did that to you...Professor Snape! And you say it's no big deal?"

Harry could hear the panic in her voice. It was a rare sound. The last time he had heard it had been when Rita Skeeter had written the article about him.

"That isn't no big deal!" Hermione continued.

"I deserved it," Harry tried to explain. "I deserved worse than this actually."

"Harry no!" Hermione shook her head in disagreement. "There's no way you deserved it. If Sirius knew about this he'd-"

"I don't care what Sirius would do," Harry replied in an annoyed voice.

Harry took note of the concerned look that Hermione and Ginny shared.

"Harry what happened?" Ginny asked in an apprehensive voice.

Harry locked eyes with her for a brief moment before shaking his head. "Nothing. I'm going to bed."

"Harry!" Hermione nearly shrieked his name.

He didn't stop and listen though instead he turned and walked up the staircase to his dormitory knowing that only one of his three friends could actually follow him.

He wanted to tell his friends what had happened. After all, he told them nearly everything. But he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't bring himself to tell them how horrible Sirius had been...how horrible his father had been...how he had invaded Snape's private memory.

Harry stormed into his dormitory and almost directly into Neville.

He opened his mouth to ask his friend for some privacy but before he could even form the words Neville was scampering out of the room, clearly sensing that Harry wasn't in the mood to be around anyone.

Harry threw himself onto his bed. He was waiting for the aftermath. He had never seen Snape quite so angry. Surely the man would go to Dumbledore which meant that it was only a matter of time before Sirius would know all about it. Harry was sure that he would be entering some sort of special club that only the Weasley twins were a part of if he was called to Dumbledore's office twice in the same day.

Harry was sure that any moment he was going to receive word to report to Dumbledore and then the Headmaster would send him home. He didn't care though. He didn't care what his godfather had to say about what he had done.

The more Snape's memory flashed through his mind, the more he began to wonder if he even really knew his godfather at all. The Sirius who took care of him, made sure to buy his favorite foods, decorated his new room so perfectly, and had the ability to make him feel about two inches tall with a simple disapproving look was not the same person who had been literally torturing Snape.

And then there was his father. Sirius always had a million and one stories for Harry about his dad but none that included the way he had seen his father act today. Not to mention his mother…she hated his dad. Every story he had ever been privy to hearing about his parents had painted this perfect picture of two people who were madly in love with each other. That wasn't what Harry had seen at all though. He had seen his father acting like an arrogant arsehole and his mother being disgusted by him.

Harry didn't care what Sirius had to say about any of it or anything else for that matter. And as the time was passing it was becoming more and more evident to Harry that clearly no one was being made aware of his behavior.

"Harry?"

Harry turned over onto his side to see Ron standing in the doorway of their dormitory.

"What?"

Harry heard the annoyance in his voice and instantly felt horrible that his anger was being taken out on Ron. He didn't apologize though; he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Hermione is real worried about you and Gin is convinced Snape beat you or something. I told them they're mental but they still insisted I come up here and see if you're alright."

Harry could hear the concern in his friend's voice. The girls may have sent him up there but Ron was just as worried as they were.

"I'm fine."

The irritation was still patent in his words. He wanted so badly to confide in Ron but he couldn't bring himself to do so. He couldn't imagine Mr. Weasley acting anything like he had seen his father and Sirius act and he couldn't help but feel that Ron would draw the same conclusion.

"Er right," Ron nodded.

Harry watched as his best mate turned and headed for the staircase only to stop after taking one step and turn back around. "You're really sure you're okay?"

"I said I'm fine Ron!" Harry snapped angrily.

He watched as a hurt expression overtook Ron's face before the red head turned once more, this time disappearing down the staircase.

Harry scowled at himself as he rolled over and forced his eyes closed willing himself to fall asleep long before any of his friends decided to go to bed.

* * *

Harry awoke earlier than he imagined he would the next morning. It had taken him hours to fall asleep the night before. He had tossed and turned until his friends had come up to the dormitory for the night and then he had laid still and silent willing sleep to come. His mind couldn't stop replaying the earlier events of the day long enough to rest. He had finally fallen asleep long after Dean was snoring and Ron was mumbling in his sleep.

He rolled onto his side allowing his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. The only sounds around him were the deep breathing of his friends.

"Are you awake?"

Harry couldn't help the small smile that formed on his face as he heard the words. If Ron was seriously up before he had to be he must really be worried. He didn't want his best friend to be worried but it was still a nice feeling that he was.

"Yeah," Harry answered softly.

"You okay?"

Even in the darkness of the room, Harry could see the concern in Ron's features.

"Let's go down to the common room."

His eyes now adjusted to the dark room, Harry saw Ron nod and then sit up in his bed.

Harry slid out of his bed and down the staircase with Ron less than a step behind him.

The common room, as it typically was in the earliest hours of the morning, was completely deserted. For a moment Harry felt a pang of guilt that he was confiding in Ron as Hermione slept but he forced the feeling away. He needed to know what Ron thought of things before he said anything to Hermione, he wasn't sure why he needed that but he knew he did.

Ron gave Harry a curious look as he settled into an armchair but remained silent and Harry was thankful for it. He wanted to explain what happened, not be attacked with questions he couldn't or didn't want to answer.

Much to Harry's satisfaction, Ron remained silent as he recounted the events of what should have been his detention. When he finally stopped talking he could feel the anger radiating through his body once more.

Ron looked completely shocked by what he had heard and when he spoke Harry could easily hear the uneasiness in his voice despite the fact that he tried to hide it.

"Yeah but they were young. Maybe it's like Malfoy I mean we-"

"No," Harry shook his head firmly. "It wasn't like that. We don't torture Malfoy while nearly the entire school cheers us on."

"You didn't see everything," Ron tried. "Maybe something happened earlier before the exam. Maybe Snape did something to them and they were just retaliating."

Harry shook his head. He didn't know how to explain it but he knew that what Ron had suggested was not the case.

"It was like they were bored so they just attacked him…for fun," Harry explained after a few moments of silence. "It wasn't payback for anything it was just for their own amusement."

Ron made a pained face at these words.

"If you would have seen it you'd know what I mean…it was awful."

"I know Sirius doesn't like Snape but I never thought it was that intense," Ron muttered. He paused for a moment and then shrugged before speaking once more. "Well then you'll just have to ask Sirius. Just tell him about it and ask him why they were acting that way."

Harry shook his head immediately hating the idea.

"Mum would murder me if she found out I was poking around in Snape's pensive but it's Sirius. You know he won't care."

Harry hadn't even really considered the fact that his godfather would be mad at him for his behavior. Whether or not Sirius was cross was actually the furthest thing from his mind. As far as Harry was concerned he didn't want to be around Sirius at all, let alone have a deep discussion with him. Everything he thought he knew about his godfather was feeling like a huge lie and Harry didn't want to deal with any of it.

"I don't want to talk to Sirius at all."

Ron gave Harry a forlorn look as he nodded in understanding.

"Might be a good idea anyway," Ron replied. "If Sirius sees that bruise on your arm he might actually murder Snape."

Harry looked down at his arm. The bruise that Snape's tight grip had given him was so purple it looked nearly black. He knew that Ron was likely right and that if Sirius saw it, the chances of him ignoring it were slim to none. Staying away from his godfather for a while was starting to sound like a better idea by the second.

**TBC...**


	44. Chapter 44

**Author's Note: Enjoy! And feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it. I'll try and have the next chapter up soon.**

* * *

"You are dismissed. However, please remember that I expect your essays on vampires to be completed when we meet next week."

Harry snapped back to attention as Ron elbowed him in the ribs. Several times over the course of the past hour Ron had had to summon Harry back to attention. It was the first time since he had set foot into the Defense classroom that he hadn't paid attention. He honestly didn't have the slightest idea what their lesson had even been about.

Harry had been trying to pay attention of course. He had been doing everything in his power to give Remus the courtesy of listening in his class. He couldn't help it though, his mind wouldn't stay focused. His thoughts were constantly going back to what he had seen in Snape's memory. Every time he looked at Remus, Harry couldn't help but see a younger version of his favorite professor, sitting under a tree, mortified by his friend's actions.

"Did he call on me?" Harry muttered.

Ron shook his head. "No, class is over."

The second the words left Ron's mouth, their classmates began standing up and collecting their things.

"Honestly I don't know how you expect to complete the essay Professor Lupin just assigned when you didn't even pay attention in class."

"The essay?" Harry asked in a dumbfounded voice.

"I'll help him with it," Ron said.

Hermione gave them both an annoyed look. "If you would have just paid attention you wouldn't need help."

"I have a lot on my mind," Harry defended himself.

"If you would just talk to Sirius about it."

Harry had finally caved over breakfast and shared the details of his detention with Hermione and Ginny. While the girls had both been very sympathetic, Hermione just couldn't seem to understand why Harry didn't want to confront Sirius.

Harry gave his friend a pointed look willing her to be silent as Remus walked towards the three of them.

"I was hoping you'd be able to spare a moment to speak with me."

Harry quickly turned his attention to the pile of books in his arms. He pretended to search for something, hoping to avoid all eye contact with Remus.

"Er well I have homework to do and-"

"It'll only take a moment," Remus promised.

Harry sighed in defeat. He couldn't very well refuse; Remus was still his teacher after all.

"We'll meet you in the common room," Hermione offered.

Harry looked up at Ron who was giving him a sympathetic look. The red head reluctantly turned and followed Hermione out of the room.

Harry turned his attention back to his books, still frantically searching for absolutely nothing.

"I couldn't help but notice that your attention in my class was less than satisfactory."

"Sorry," Harry muttered. He hoped that despite the fact that he wasn't even looking at Remus that his apology sounded at least a bit sincere. He truly wasn't trying to be disrespectful.

"I didn't ask you to stay after class so that I could receive an apology," Remus said in a gentle voice. "Truthfully I wanted to make sure you are okay."

Harry's eyes left his books and wandered up to meet Remus'. It suddenly occurred to him that like Snape, Remus was a teacher. He felt panic take over his body as he realized that Snape could have easily confided in Remus and told him exactly what had happened the previous night, and if Remus knew, there wasn't a shot in hell that Sirius wouldn't find out.

"It isn't like you to be so distant in class," Remus continued. "At first I thought perhaps you had a falling out with your friends but things seem to be in order there."

Harry breathed a sigh of relief, obviously Remus didn't know.

"I guess I'm just tired," Harry replied. He justified his words by the fact that he really was a bit tired so therefore he wasn't being untruthful. If there was one lesson that continually stuck with him it was that telling a lie was wrong.

Remus raised an eyebrow at these words. "Have you been having trouble sleeping? Is Sirius aware of this? Surely if it's that bad Madam Pomfrey could give you something to allow your mind to relax."

Harry quickly shook his head. He instantly realized where Remus was going with this. He was assuming his lack of sleep had to do with Voldemort and his thinking so was the last thing Harry needed.

"I've been sleeping okay, just last night I had a lot of homework and I went to bed real late." It wasn't exactly a lie...he had had a lot of homework, not that he had done any of it, and he had gone to bed late. It was a stretch. Harry knew that if it was up to his godfather the words he just spoke would be considered a lie but he was trying to force himself to believe that he didn't care about Sirius' opinion.

Remus nodded as if he accepted the excuse but Harry could easily see the doubt in the man's eyes.

"I don't mean to pry Harry but if you ever need to talk...of course you have Sirius but if you wanted to talk to someone else..."Remus trailed off.

Harry nodded quietly as his gaze drifted back down to his books.

Remus cleared his throat before he continued. "Alright then. I won't keep you any longer."

At these words, Harry quickly turned and headed for the door, relieved to have finally been released. He didn't miss the hurt look in Remus' eyes though. The man clearly knew that there was something bothering Harry and it was obvious that he was hurt by Harry's refusal to confide in him. For a split second Harry contemplated turning around and telling Remus exactly what he had seen. He thought about asking Remus how his father and Sirius had acted that way and why he remained friends with them despite it. Harry wanted to trust Remus but he was too sure that opening up to Remus would mean sharing everything with his godfather as well and that was the last thing Harry wanted.

He stepped out of the Defense classroom and walked quickly towards the Gryffindor tower.

Harry was thankful that classes were over for the week. He was hoping to avoid Snape altogether until he absolutely had to see him which would be in his Potions class in three days' time; an event that Harry was dreading.

After giving the Fat Lady the proper password, Harry stepped into the common room to find Ron and Hermione now accompanied by Ginny as well.

"I know you don't want to hear this," Hermione said the minute she set eyes on Harry, "but I hope you confided in Remus."

Harry shook his head as he headed towards his dormitory stairs.

"And just what are you going to do tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow?" Harry asked in a perplexed voice. He didn't miss the concerned faces both of the Weasley's were staring at him with.

"Tomorrow is Saturday," Hermione replied.

"I know what day it is!" Harry snapped. The moment he lost his temper he regretted his actions. The hurt expression that overtook Hermione's face was enough to make him wish that the floor would swallow him whole.

"You are supposed to be going home to visit Sirius tomorrow," Hermione responded after a moment of silence. Her voice was much gentler than it had been only seconds earlier. "Ron and I were coming with you...remember?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm not going," he replied defiantly. He hated himself for how much he sounded like a child.

"Harry," Hermione said softly. Harry could hear the pleading tone in her voice and it caused him to immediately shake his head once more.

"No," Harry replied in an aggravated voice. "If you two want to go then go but I'm not."

"We wouldn't go without you," Hermione said.

"What are you going to tell Sirius?" Ron asked.

Harry didn't miss the concern in both of his friend's voices nor did he miss the apprehensive look on Ginny's face.

"I don't have to tell him anything. I'm just not going."

Harry watched as Hermione and Ginny exchanged a worried look.

He knew that they were just being good friends. He knew that he was lucky to have friends who cared enough to worry about him. At the moment though, their worry wasn't comforting to him, it was just annoying.

"But Harry if Sirius-"

Harry didn't wait around to hear what Hermione had to say though. Instead he turned and walked up to his dormitory, taking the steps two at a time.

He walked into the room and dropped his books onto his bed. Seconds later he ripped off his robes and tie leaving them in a heap on the floor. Without giving his actions any thought, he kicked the post of his bed, immediately regretting it as he felt completely immature.

"Er Harry?"

He looked up to see Ron standing in the doorway. Harry couldn't remember ever seeing him look more apprehensive.

"What?"

"Are you coming to dinner?"

Harry wanted to say no. He wanted to bury himself in his bed under his covers and sleep for the next week or month or year or however long it took for him to forget what he had seen in Snape's memory. He had hardly eaten any lunch though and he knew if he opted to skip dinner that his friends would just pester him with their concern. Plus he was almost certain that if Remus didn't see him at dinner his worry would only grow.

"Yeah," he answered after a moment of silence.

* * *

"I'm going to go to the library after this and work on the vampire essay if either of you would like to join me."

Ron made a face at her words but Harry nodded silently in agreement. Of course it wasn't his ideal way to spend a Friday night but he would be happy to get the assignment done and he knew if he went with Hermione she'd be able to help him. Considering how little attention he had paid in class, he could use all the help he could get.

"I guess I'll go too then," Ron said in a reluctant voice.

Hermione smiled, obviously pleased with the outcome.

For the first time since they had sat down nearly thirty minutes prior, Harry allowed his eyes to wander up to the staff table.

"Snape isn't here," he said the moment he realized the man was absent.

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with what happened," Hermione said quickly.

"I'm sure it has everything to do with it," Harry retorted. "Snape has never missed dinner before."

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Ginny tried.

Harry shook his head. As much as he wanted to believe Ginny's words he knew that they weren't true.

"Maybe I should go and try to talk to him again."

Ron's eyes widened at Harry's words.

"Talk to whom?"

The four of them looked up to see Remus standing over them.

"Uh George," Harry answered. "I beat him at a game of exploding snap earlier and he's still a bit sore about it."

Remus nodded as though he agreed. A smile formed on his face and Harry imagined he was about to speak but the smile quickly vanished as a worried expression took over.

"What on earth happened to your arm?"

If possible, Harry would have kicked himself for being stupid enough to come to dinner without his robes on. Of course his bruise was noticeable enough that Remus would see it and comment on it immediately.

"Oh um Quidditch accident," Harry quickly lied.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "You haven't played Quidditch in quite a few days and that bruise looks rather fresh."

"Harry," Hermione suddenly laughed. "Don't you remember? You did that when you and Ron were playing around in the common room the other night."

"Right!" Harry agreed quickly.

Harry instantly noticed that Remus didn't look like he believed a single word he had heard. However, much to Harry's surprise the man nodded, accepted Hermione's excuse, and went on his way.

"Playing around in the common room?" Ron smirked after Remus had walked away. "How the hell would I bruise his arm that way?"

"Who cares? He fell for it didn't he?"

Harry didn't have the heart to tell Hermione that Remus hadn't fallen for anything. Actually, if Harry had to guess he would be confident in saying that Remus was likely on his way to talk to Sirius. Harry felt his stomach turn at the idea of Sirius knowing that something was up...that he had lied to Remus. Harry quickly pushed the thought from his mind. He didn't care. He was angry with Sirius and it didn't matter what the man said or did, it wasn't going to change that fact.

**TBC...**


	45. Chapter 45

**Author's Note: Enjoy! And feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it.**

* * *

"I think you are being completely unreasonable."

"Unreasonable?" Harry shot back in an annoyed voice.

Hermione nodded seriously. "To say the very least!"

Harry rolled his eyes at these words.

Ever since he had told Hermione that he had sent word to Sirius that they wouldn't be coming over for the day, his friend hadn't stopped pestering him about it.

"Let it go Hermione," Ron pleaded in a bored voice.

Ron and Harry had been trying to enjoy a game of chess in the common room but Hermione had been seeing to it that her opinion was being heard loud and clear.

"I just don't understand what you are planning to do," Hermione continued, ignoring Ron's words completely. "Eventually you'll have to talk to Sirius. You can't just ignore him forever and it's not fair for you to be so furious when he doesn't have a clue as to why and never will unless you tell him."

Harry had to admit that despite the fact that he didn't want to hear it, her words did hold some truth. He couldn't avoid his godfather forever. The reply from his hastily written note had proven that. Sirius had accepted Harry's excuse that he had too much homework to come home but had followed his acceptance with, 'finish it up today and come home tomorrow.' It was apparent to Harry that the homework excuse had really only bought him a small amount of time.

"Hermione it's none of your business," Ron said. "Harry will figure it out."

Harry appreciated Ron's words and his friend's willingness to stand up for him but he knew that an angry Hermione was not a force to be reckoned with. The only way she was going to let up was if Harry agreed to take action.

"I'm going to go talk to Remus after lunch," Harry responded as he moved his Queen across the board.

A confused look spread across Hermione's face causing her to be silent for a moment.

Ron smirked clearly amused by how quickly Harry had shut her up.

"You are?" She asked in a skeptical voice after a moment of silence.

Harry nodded. "Yep, after lunch."

"Well I'm glad you decided to take a step in the right direction," Hermione said in a satisfied voice. "I'm going to go to the library to work on some homework now. I'll see you two at lunch."

In one quick motion she swept up her books, turned, and walked away.

"You know if you would have just told her that an hour ago we would've been a lot farther along in the game by now," Ron pointed out with a smirk.

Harry shrugged. He wasn't about to admit to his friend that it was actually Hermione's words that pushed him to go speak with Remus.

"They're going to go mental," Ron muttered under his breath.

Harry looked up at his friend with a curious look on his face inquiring what exactly they were going to go mental over.

"Your arm," Ron said in an earnest voice as he glanced at the now nearly black bruise peeking out from underneath Harry's shirt sleeve. "Sirius is going to bloody murder Snape."

* * *

Harry stood in the doorway for several long moments watching Remus. The man seemed oblivious to the teenager's presence. All of his attention was going directly into the book he was reading and Harry couldn't help but be reminded of a much younger Remus he had seen in Snape's memory. For a moment Harry was tempted to turn around and walk away without Remus ever being aware that he was even there. He knew he couldn't do that though. As angry as he was with his godfather, he knew that he it would be impossible to avoid the man forever. At some point he was going to have to confront him and something was telling him that talking with Remus would make the inevitable altercation much easier to deal with.

Before he could change his mind Harry cleared his throat loudly, causing Remus to look up and take notice.

"Harry," Remus smiled. To anyone else he would likely look pleased to see Harry but the teenager who knew his favorite professor so well could easily see the concern looming behind the man's eyes.

Harry forced a small smile as he took a step into the man's office.

"To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

"You umm…you said if I needed to talk to someone," Harry searched for the words.

Now the concern was more than evident on the man's face. A blind man could have seen it there.

"Absolutely," Remus nodded. He closed his book and placed it on the table next to his seat. As he did so Harry couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for having interrupted his time.

Remus gestured to the seat across from him and Harry quickly crossed the room, his legs working on their own accord as his brain wanted nothing more than to turn and run all the way back to his common room.

Harry was silent after he sat down. He racked his brain as he tried to decide where to start. He couldn't help but think that if it was Sirius he was sitting across from talking would be a lot easier. He had come to know exactly what to expect from his godfather and although he was pretty sure that Sirius would be cross with him for going into Snape's memory he was also sure his godfather wouldn't yell and would give him a chance to talk…he wasn't so sure how things would go with Remus though.

Remus gave the boy a curious look, clearly silently inquiring why he wasn't talking yet.

"I don't really know where to start," Harry admitted in a soft voice.

"I often find that the beginning is a wonderful place to start," Remus replied with a small smile.

Harry nodded before taking a deep breath.

"Professor Snape gave me detention," he finally said. Remus raised an eyebrow at these words. "That's not the important part," Harry continued. "It's what happened during my detention."

"Why do I have the dreadful feeling that you're about to tell me the real reason your arm is so bruised?"

Harry didn't confirm nor deny Remus' words instead he focused on continuing his explanation.

"When I got to the dungeon he wasn't there," Harry selected his words carefully. It was only now that he was confessing his actions that he was beginning to realize how very wrong of him it was to just intrude on Snape's private memories. If he wasn't so mad with his godfather he would have been dreading telling the man anything about it yet eager to fix things all the same. "His pensive was in the room though and I know I shouldn't have touched it but I was curious and so I did." Harry paused for a moment. Remus' face had grown quite solemn at the words but he didn't look angry exactly.

"I honestly didn't mean to use it," Harry continued. "But I somehow ended up in a memory of Professor Snape's and I didn't know how to get out of it."

"And when you were discovered by Severus he gave you the nasty bruise on your arm," Remus said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"That isn't important."

"I beg to differ," Remus replied in a no-nonsense voice. "And if I were a betting man I'd be willing to wager that your godfather would agree with me. The fact that you are keeping something like this from him is simply foolis-"

"I saw my parents in the memory," Harry cut Remus off. "As well as you and Sirius."

"We were schoolmates, it doesn't surprise me that we made an appearance," Remus replied clearly missing the significance of Harry's words. "And while I do not condone your trespassing in a man's private memories, Severus' reaction was completely uncalled for. A teacher never has the right to put a hand on a student and furthermore-"

"They were horrible to him," Harry muttered. He had hardly been listening to Remus' words and they certainly hadn't made an impact on Harry's feelings at all.

"Pardon?" Remus' face was full of confusion once more.

"My dad and Sirius…they were horrible to Snape." Harry paused for a moment as he attempted to gather his thoughts. He half expected Remus to correct him, to tell him to refer to Snape as Professor Snape but he didn't say a word.

"It was after your O.W.L.S and you all went out by the lake. My dad and Sirius started torturing him."

Harry watched as Remus' face changed. He was undoubtedly beginning to remember the same memory.

"If it wasn't for my mother coming along…" Harry trailed off.

"It upset you that you saw them behave in that manner," Remus said in a soft voice.

"They were awful to him. How could they treat him like that?"

"They were young Harry," Remus tried to explain. "Take yourself and Draco for instance. You two-"

"We've never been that horrible to each other," Harry immediately cut Remus off. "Mean maybe but not horrible. I would never treat him like that. Besides it's not the same, Snape looked like he didn't have any friends at all."

"Sirius isn't that person anymore."

"I don't know who Sirius is anymore," Harry retorted.

Remus sighed sadly at these words, a pained look taking over his face. "You don't honestly feel that way do you?"

"He was cross with me just this past week for fighting with Malfoy," Harry replied. "He's a hypocrite."

"I suppose all parents are a bit hypocritical."

Remus' referral to Sirius as his parent tugged at Harry's heart.

"I'm angry at him for acting like he did…I'm angry at my dad too. They were bullies."

Remus nodded. "You're absolutely right Harry they were bullies."

Harry looked up at Remus with a shocked face. He hadn't expected the man to agree with him.

"And then they grew up," Remus continued. "You went into Snape's memory without any regard for the man's feelings. Would you want to be judged by that for the rest of your life?"

"It's not the same," Harry muttered.

"Perhaps not exactly the same but not all that different either."

Harry was silent as he mulled over Remus' words.

"Now you're angry with Sirius and he isn't even aware that you are much less why you are. That hardly seems fair to me."

"You're going to tell him," Harry mumbled.

"Oh absolutely not," Remus shook his head. "In fact I'm making it a point not to get involved as this is between Sirius and yourself." Remus paused for a moment as he gave Harry a pointed look. "You are going to tell him yourself."

Harry looked up at Remus with a defeated face. He had known that that was where this conversation was going but hearing confirmation didn't make it any easier.

"I'm not sure I can do that without starting a row," Harry admitted in a soft voice.

"Sometimes a row can help clear the air," Remus replied gently. "Your godfather loves you very much Harry and I think after all he's done for you he certainly deserves your honesty with him."

Harry nodded in agreement. He couldn't dispute Remus' words, Sirius did deserve that much.

"I guess I could go home one day this week and…" He trailed off as he saw Remus shake his head.

"I think that when dealing with a situation such as this one, the present is the best time for you to take care of things."

* * *

Harry stood in the large empty room of 12 Grimmauld Place. He had half expected to come through the fireplace to find Sirius sitting in the armchair with his newspaper the way he would have in their old home, but Sirius was nowhere to be seen.

Momentarily Harry debated going back to Hogwarts. There was a chance that Remus had sent him through the floo and then exited his office and if he hadn't Harry could easily say that Sirius hadn't been home.

The thought escaped his mind as he heard footsteps approaching the room.

"Harry," Sirius said in a surprised voice as he appeared in the parlor. "I thought you had homework to do?"

The moment Harry saw and heard his godfather his mind instantly went back to the much younger version of the man that he had witnessed in Snape's pensive. Despite the fact that talking with Remus had calmed him, seeing his godfather face to face was now bringing back the visions of Snape being tortured and Sirius' role in it. He wanted nothing more than to scream at the man and ask him how he could be so cruel. He swallowed the urge though. He knew that doing so would only make things a million times worse.

Harry shook his head. "I lied," he admitted in a low voice.

Confusion swept over Sirius' face.

"I didn't have homework to do today."

"Okay," Sirius replied slowly. "And you lied because?"

"Because I'm really mad at you," Harry admitted.

Harry watched as the confusion on Sirius' face deepened. His godfather ran a hand down his face before speaking again.

"Forgive me Harry but I can't think of a single reason for you to be displeased with me at the moment."

"Snape gave me detention for the fight with Malfoy."

At some point Harry had decided that coming out and telling his godfather exactly what was going on was likely the best idea. He wasn't sure how Sirius was going to react to his invading Snape's memory or the bruise on his arm nor was he sue how he would react to Sirius' explanation of how he and his father had acted but none of that mattered, Hermione and Remus were right; this all had to be discussed and dealt with.

"I sincerely hope that you don't expect me to disagree with this punishment."

Harry shook his head in response to Sirius' words before continuing. "I went down to Snape's office for detention but he wasn't there. I was about to leave but I saw his pensive and I just wanted to look at it and I somehow ended up inside one of his memories and couldn't get out."

He saw his godfather's face take on a stern demeanor. "Harry you-"

"I saw a memory of you and my dad treating him horribly," Harry quickly continued before his godfather could lecture him for what he had done. "It was after your O.W.L.S. You were bullying him outside by the lake."

As Harry spoke he watched his godfather's expression change drastically. The stern Sirius who had looked ready to give him the talking to of a lifetime had vanished and was quickly replaced with a much more self-conscious man.

"You were horrible to him," Harry continued. "How could you treat him like that and then get mad at me for fighting with Malfoy?"

"It's not the same," Sirius replied in a calm voice.

"No you're right, it's not," Harry retorted with as much attitude as he dared, "Because what you did was about a hundred times worse."

"You are absolutely right," Sirius nodded. "We were horrible your dad and I. We practically made a game of it."

Harry made a face at his godfather's words. "And you think it was okay? How could you act like that? You'd belt me if you found out I treated someone like that but it's no big deal that you did?"

"Perhaps I want you to be a better person than I was."

"That's a real shitty excuse Sirius," Harry snapped before he had a moment to think about what he was saying and who he was saying it to.

"Watch your mouth," Sirius replied.

Harry instantly heard the somberness in his godfather's voice. A small voice in the back of his head told him to calm down, to shut up and take a deep breath, to quit while he was ahead but the thought of Snape hanging upside down while his godfather and father taunted him was enough to shut that voice up completely.

"No I won't! It was and you know it." Harry argued the volume of his voice now rising a decibel.

"We were teenagers Harry," Sirius tried to reason. "Teenagers make mistakes and do stupid things. How we treated Snape wasn't right I'll admit that but I hardly think that your attitude over this subject is needed and I would appreciate it if you'd calm down."

"No Sirius I-"

"Harry James," Sirius said sternly cutting off the teenager the moment he spoke without making any effort to lower his voice. "Lower your voice and speak to me like a civilized person or go to your room. Those are your choices."

Harry fixed his godfather with the angriest look he could muster before walking past him and towards the staircase.

He heard Sirius sigh in frustration as he began stomping up the stairs.

"If you continue walking as though you are a child, I'm going to follow you up to your room and punish you as one," Sirius warned.

Harry wanted to reply that he might have been acting like a child but at least he wasn't a sodding bully but he refrained. He also stopped his stomping as well. He didn't want to give in so easily but he knew his godfather well enough to know that if Sirius said it…he meant it and Harry was in no mood to end up being punished.

He went into his room, resisting every urge to slam the door shut as he did. Instead he threw himself onto his bed. Sirius was impossible and now, as a result of that, Harry was stuck in his room. He had half a mind to go back downstairs and tell his godfather to sod off and that he was going back to Hogwarts. He wasn't that thick though, he knew that Sirius wasn't going to let this go that easily. The more likely scenario would be his godfather knocking on his bedroom door within the next hour, ready to talk.

Harry looked up at his ceiling for a moment, absentmindedly watching the Quidditch game going on above him. He tried as he might to put the row with his godfather out of his mind though Sirius instantly reappeared each time. How could the man not care about how horrible he had acted towards Snape? How could he get mad enough to nearly punish him for fighting with Malfoy when he had acted so much worse? Why hadn't anyone ever told him how horrible his dad and Sirius could be? A hundred questions were swimming through Harry's mind and the only one who could truly answer them was downstairs likely trying to calm down before he ended up tanning his godson's backside.

Harry sighed to himself as he rolled onto his side, bunching his pillow up under his head. Going downstairs to try and talk with Sirius again wasn't going to make anything better. All Harry could do now was wait for his godfather to come to him and in the meantime try and calm his temper.

**TBC...**


	46. Chapter 46

**Author's Note: Enjoy! Feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it.**

* * *

Sirius could feel his temper rising as his godson marched past him toward the staircase.

Of course he had given the young teenager to choice of either lowering his voice or going to his room but he certainly had not expected Harry to pick his room. He had foreseen his godson taking a deep breath, speaking in a calmer voice, and this whole mess being resolved in time for an afternoon cup of tea. Clearly, his hopes had been too high.

It was taking everything Sirius had in him not to demand that Harry stop dead in his tracks and talk to him. As Harry began climbing the stairs, deilberately stomping his feet, Sirius' blood began to boil. Harry was acting as if he were a child- a spoiled child in the middle of a tantrum at that.

"If you continue to walk like a child, I will follow and punish you as one," Sirius warned before he could stop himself. He instantly cringed at the words. Although he hadn't spelled out the punishment he was referring to he was sure that his godson was all too aware. Sirius, however, hardly wanted to resort to such tactics. Such significant punishment was saved for much more profound misbehavior and although Harry certainly was acting like a child, Sirius wasn't ready to dole out a spanking.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks at the words, and even though his back was turned, Sirius was certain that if looks could kill the expression on his godson's face would have caused him to keel over dead right away. Thankfully though, Harry continued walking without stomping. Sirius was mildly grateful for it; he definitely knew that he would have made good on his threat, and so he was appreciative that Harry had the good sense to listen to him despite his temper.

Regardless of this, Sirius waited to hear his godson's door slam, but thankfully, the loud bang never came.

Running a hand down his face, he sighed to himself before heading back towards the kitchen.

"Do I even want to ask what that was all about?"

Sirius sighed once more as he collapsed into a chair at the long table. "Harry is home."

"So I heard," Tonks offered him a small smile, "and apparently quite angry about something."

Tonks had been invited over for lunch when Sirius had still thought that Harry and his friends would be joining them. He knew that a Hogsmeade weekend was fast approaching and he wanted to remind Harry that Tonks was available to join them. When Harry had canceled at the last minute, Sirius had figured that having lunch with Tonks would be nice company. She had just been about to leave when the two of them had heard the floo roar to life.

"Angry with me," Sirius admitted. He ran his hand across the wood table absentmindedly pausing to pick at a small chip in the otherwise smooth surface, "for something that occurred years ago."

Tonks gave Sirius a curious look. "How on earth-"

"He apparently ended up in Snape's pensive and saw his father and I treating him quite badly," Sirius interrupted her.

Tonks cringed at these words. "Oh the poor kid."

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "That poor kid went into someone else's personal memories and just spoke to me with more disrespect then I'm prepared to excuse."

"Well he's angry with you. Maybe you can relate to feeling angry with someone and the fact that you may be just a bit disrespectful because of it."

Sirius made an unimpressed face at these words. "You would stick up for him if he murdered someone wouldn't you?"

Tonks blushed at these words. "That depends on whether or not he did it in self-defense."

Sirius couldn't help the small smile that spread across his face, but it faded just as quickly as it had appeared when he began speaking once more.

"It amazes me that for as much as he dislikes Snape, he is so quick to stand up for the man. He was out there literally lecturing me on how poorly I treated him. I would have never guessed that Harry would get so upset over Snivellus."

"I think that his doing so says a lot about his character," Tonks replied. "Although I hardly think it has much to do with Snape. I don't think it would have mattered who Harry saw you and his dad treat poorly; the only thing that matters to him is how you acted."

Sirius let these words swim around his brain for a moment before he responded. "We were young. We were dumb and I am ready and willing to admit that however, my godson is no angel either. I have dealt with him fighting with Draco on more than one occasion, although it's a bit convenient how he seems to forget how he has behaved in the past."

Tonks shook her head. "I think you are missing a huge point here."

"And what's that?" Sirius asked in a curious voice.

"You are that kid's hero," Tonks replied matter-of-factly. "Everyone can see that. I've hardly spent any time with the two of you and I can see it plain as day."

"And what does that have to-"

"He unfortunately watched his hero act in a way that has obviously upset him greatly. Not only that but he watched his father, who he never got the chance to know, do the same. I just think you should take that into consideration before you go up there and dish out a punishment for his disrespect."

Sirius mulled these words over as the two of them sat in silence.

"Do you plan on having children one day?" He finally asked.

Tonks shrugged. "One day, maybe, if the time is right and it all works out."

"You should," Sirius nodded. "I think you'd be quite good at it."

* * *

Harry was sitting on the edge of his bed weighing his options. He had been in his room for over an hour now and he was tired of being confided to the space. He had narrowed his choices down to either going downstairs and trying to talk to his godfather or going and demanding that he be allowed to go back to Hogwarts.

He was done with being cooperative and obedient. He was still angry at Sirius and he hardly agreed with the fact that he was being punished as if he had done something wrong.

A tiny voice in the back of his head was pleading with him to calm down and stay put. That small voice was trying to remind him that he had, in fact, trespassed into Snape's private memories not to mention yelled at his godfather. Harry was set on ignoring that little voice, an easy task as there was a second, much louder, loftier voice was reminding him of how he had seen his godfather act and of how Sirius had treated him like a child by sending him to his room.

Harry had been only seconds away from sliding off of his bed, storming downstairs, and telling his godfather that he was going back to Hogwarts whether the man liked it or not when there was a knock on his bedroom door.

Harry glanced over his shoulder to see his door open only wide enough for Sirius to slip into the room.

Without saying a word, Harry watched as his godfather crossed the room. In one quick motion, Sirius grabbed the back of the desk chair with one hand and swung it around to face Harry before depositing himself into it.

"We need to talk."

The moment these words left Sirius' mouth, Harry looked up making eye contact with his godfather. He held his stare for less than a minute before turning his head to the side, his eyes now concentrating on his bed post.

"And the way I see it you have two choices," Sirius continued. "You can either act like an adult and we can speak about this calmly and rationally or you can act like a child which will likely result in solving very little."

Harry, still intent on winning his staring contest with the bed post, rolled his eyes at his godfather's words and then immediately felt his heart race about at his action. Despite the fact that he was angry with the man sitting across from him he hardly wanted to get in trouble for being a prat either.

Harry heard his godfather sigh and when the man spoke again the sound of his voice had shifted into a much more impatient tone.

"I would appreciate it if you would have the respect to at least look at me when I speak to you."

Harry ignored these words. He wasn't ready to give in quite so easily.

A moment of silence passed and then Sirius tried again.

"Sitting there ignoring me isn't going to resolve anything Harry."

Sirius took a deep breath as his words went completely ignored. He was doing everything he could to keep his temper at bay as well as to remember the wise words Tonks had spoken. He had been hoping that Harry would be eager to talk but clearly he couldn't have been more wrong.

The last thing Sirius wanted to do was threaten his godson. He knew that if Harry didn't cooperate he'd have to follow through and he was hardly prepared to resort to such tactics. However, he also knew his godson well enough to know it would likely work.

"It has been months since I've had to put you over my knee," Sirius said in a grim voice. "I thought that perhaps you were getting too old for such a punishment, but I think maybe I was wrong about that."

Just as Sirius had predicted, Harry instantly snapped to attention. He lost all interest in the bed post, his eyes falling on his godfather as he quickly shook his head.

"Sirius, no," Harry pleaded in a low voice. "Please."

"Then stop acting as if you are years younger than you are," Sirius instructed sternly. "I understand you are upset with me but behaving like a child isn't going to fix that."

Harry was silent for a moment, willing his temper to calm down. The last thing he wanted was for his godfather to follow through with his threat and Harry knew the man well enough to know that he wouldn't hesitate to do so if he felt the need.

"I understand that what you saw in Snape's memory must have been painful to endure."

"Shocking," Harry muttered.

"What was that?" Sirius asked. He worked hard to make sure that the tone of his voice had softened just a bit. He wasn't sure what his godson had just said but he wanted to give Harry the benefit of the doubt that it hadn't been a rude remark.

"It was shocking," Harry repeated in a louder voice. "I didn't know that you and my dad ever acted like that and I didn't like seeing it."

Sirius felt a tug of guilt. "As I said earlier we were young Harry."

"You were older than I am now," Harry replied. He paused for a moment collecting his thoughts, careful to speak in a calm, mature voice. "All the stories you've ever told me about you and my dad made you seem so cool…like you had all this fun. This wasn't like that. You were cruel to him just because you could be. You treated him horribly."

"I'm not denying that we did," Sirius nodded. "Snape wasn't always the victim though. He treated us horribly at times too."

Harry was silent as he mulled over these words. It never occurred to him that the teacher who treated him horribly had always been a bully. And then another thought occurred to him.

"That's why he hates me huh; because of you and my dad."

"I certainly haven't taken the time to scrutinize Snape's every motive, but I would agree that the past plays some role in it."

"So you treat him like that but you get mad at me for being mean to Malfoy. I'm not half as mean as you were."

"As I said downstairs, I want you to be a better person…even if that is a shitty excuse."

Harry cringed at his godfather's words. Had he really said that to the man? He had almost convinced himself that he had just imagined saying the words and that they had never actually left his mouth.

"I think that most parents want that for their children," Sirius continued. "And although I'm sure it's hard to understand, one day you'll likely see yourself in the same situation."

Harry remained silent as he allowed his godfather to talk.

"I know that what you saw disappointed you but you have to realize that I'm only human Harry, I make mistakes…the same can be said for your dad. I am not the same person that I was when I was a student. I grew up…matured. And while I am sorry that you had to witness the young, self-absorbed version of me I want you to recognize that I haven't been that person in years."

Harry nodded. He could understand that people changed as they grew up. He had to. After all, he had never seen his godfather act the way he had in Snape's memory before so surely the words the man said were true.

"And perhaps it would do me well to remember what an arse I used to be when you get yourself into trouble for fighting with Malfoy."

Harry gave his godfather a skeptical look.

"Mind you that's not permission to go off and get yourself in trouble," Sirius said in a somber voice.

Harry nodded. "I know."

"And perhaps it would do you well to remember that despite whether you are cross with me or not I expect you to speak to me with respect."

Harry nodded again. "I will. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to talk to you like that."

Sirius returned the nod but remained silent for a long moment. He was thankful that this talk was going so well and hoped it would continue to do so as they moved onto the next topic of conversation.

"Now I suppose we should discuss your trespassing into someone's private memories."

"It was an accident," Harry replied quickly. "I didn't mean to end up in his memory."

"Touching his pensive was an accident?"

Sirius' voice wasn't angry but it was certainly solemn.

"No," Harry admitted. "But I didn't know how it worked and I didn't mean to use it. I would have left his memory right away if I had known how."

Sirius sighed as he ran a hand down his face. "Do you need to be punished for this or in the future will you remember to keep your hands off of others' personal property?"

"I'll remember," Harry nodded seriously. "I really will."

"I'm going to hold you to that," Sirius promised.

Harry watched as the man's entire demeanor changed. The somberness left his face, his body instantly relaxed. Harry felt his own body follow suit and he decided then and there that if he ever had kids he would have to remember to do this. He would have to remember how to put the room back at ease, all the feeling of being in trouble quickly evaporating.

It was one of the things he loved about living with his godfather. Unlike with his aunt and uncle he never had to guess whether he was in trouble or not. Sirius' body language always told him exactly what the man was thinking and how he felt.

"You're quite lucky that when Snape found you he didn't punish you for going into his pensive."

Harry nodded at these words unable to speak. He had yet to tell his godfather about the bruise on his arm. He hadn't been sure how to do so but by the look on Sirius' face he was going to have to and quick.

Sirius knew his godson all too well and from the look on Harry's face it was clear that Snape had punished him. Sirius didn't blame the man for doing so he knew his godson deserved it if it had been just. Something about Harry's face was making Sirius' heart beat a bit faster though. Something was telling him that there was a bit more to this story.

"What happened?" Sirius asked in a concerned voice.

"Nothing," Harry spoke quickly, a little too quickly for his godfather's liking.

"Do not lie to me," Sirius warned in a stern voice.

Harry was quiet for a moment and when he did speak, his voice sounded desperate.

"Promise you won't go mental."

"No," Sirius shook his head.

His heart was beating at a rapid speed now. A horrible feeling was filling his body and the last thing on earth he was going to do was make some ridiculous promise to his godson to keep his temper.

"Sirius," Harry nearly whined his name as he pleaded.

Sirius shook his head firmly. "You have five seconds to tell me what happened Harry or I'm going to get angry."

The threat of his godfather being cross with him was all it took for Harry to quickly push up his shirt sleeve revealing the nasty bruise that Snape had left on his arm.

Within seconds, Sirius was on his feet, his fingers gently brushing over the now black mark.

"That son of a …" Sirius muttered in a tone that Harry had never heard before.

"It was an accident," Harry quickly tried to explain. "He was angry with me for seeing what I saw and-"

"Anger does not equate an accident," Sirius said firmly.

"I deserved it," Harry tried. "You said yourself I shouldn't have touched his pensive and-"

"And as your guardian it is my decision whether you deserve punishment for that or not," Sirius cut him off. "No teacher ever has the right to put a hand on you."

Harry remained silent at these words.

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Sirius asked in a cross voice.

Harry looked up at his godfather. He had never seen the man quite so angry before. He shrugged. "I don't know…I knew you'd go mental."

Sirius sighed loudly at these words. "Never keep something like this from me again. Is that understood young man?"

Harry nodded quickly. It wasn't often that his godfather referred to him in such a manner and when he did it often resulted in punishment.

"Get your shoes on," Sirius instructed as he headed for his godson's bedroom door. "Meet me downstairs in two minutes."

"Where are we going?"

The question slipped from Harry's mouth but he hadn't meant to ask it, he was too afraid that he already knew the answer.

"To Hogwarts," Sirius replied confirming his every fear.

"Sirius no let's just-"

"You have two minutes," Sirius said firmly. "Do not argue with me."

**TBC...**


	47. Chapter 47

**Author's Note: Enjoy! Feel free to tell me what you love or hate about it! Seriously, ya'll have no idea how much your reviews mean to me and how much they make me want to write more and more.**

* * *

Harry was still pulling his left trainer on as he hopped down the hallway towards the staircase.

His mind was racing a mile a minute. The last thing he wanted to do was accompany his irate godfather to Hogwarts so the man could attack Snape. He also didn't want his godfather's anger directed at him, however, he was willing to do whatever he could to stop all this from happening.

He was trying to convince himself that he was right, that Snape didn't do anything wrong, that Sirius was being completely unreasonable. And most importantly, that he wasn't going to end up in trouble with his godfather for what he was about to do.

Both of his shoes now completely on his feet, Harry raced down the stairs to find his godfather pacing the living room floor.

"Sirius we need to talk," Harry said the moment he entered the room.

Sirius ignored his godson's request and instead crossed the room and squatted down in front of the short teenager. "Before we go over there I need to know if anything else happened."

Harry shook his head without any hesitation.

"You're absolutely sure? He didn't hit you? Or grab you anywhere else?"

"No," Harry answered honestly. The last thing he needed was Sirius thinking that there was more to this story than there really was. As things stood the man was already completely overreacting and Harry didn't want that to go any further.

Sirius let out a sigh of relief before standing up right. "Alright then let's get going."

He walked towards the fireplace, turning around with a curious look on his face when he realized that his godson was not following him.

"Now please Harry."

Harry knew the tone of his godfather's voice. His words, though spoken kindly, were hardly a request. He expected Harry to obey him.

Harry knew he should do so but he found himself shaking his head no instead.

"This isn't the time for you to be stubborn," Sirius said sternly. "Now do as I've asked and walk yourself over here."

"No, listen to me first," Harry pleaded. He was sure his voice sounded desperate but he didn't even care. He was desperate and it hardly mattered to him if it was showing.

All he could picture was the horrible scene of Snape being bullied as a teenager, the last thing Harry wanted was a matching memory of Sirius bullying Snape as an adult.

"I'm listening."

Harry swallowed hard as he tried to gather his thoughts. If there was one thing he had learned in the past few months it was that how he worded his request would likely have a huge impact on whether or not his godfather would take his words into consideration.

"Snape didn't mean to leave a bruise on me. Honestly Sirius he was just upset and he had a right to be I shouldn't have touched his stuff."

"We've been over this already," Sirius replied. To an outsider his voice would have sounded calm but Harry could distinctly hear the sternness beneath the calmness.

"But you aren't listening to me."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at these words.

"I mean you are but you aren't hearing me," Harry quickly corrected his words. He was determined to win this argument and to act like an adult doing so. He was determined not to start another row. "I understand that you are mad at Snape but you shouldn't be. If anything be mad at me, I'm the one who was wrong."

'Harry," Sirius said in a tired voice.

"No," Harry shook his head. "I'm not going to Hogwarts with you. I'm not going to let you go yell at Snape for something so dumb."

"I hardly think the bruise on your arm is dumb."

"You know what I mean. It was dumb of me to go into his pensive and you know it. If I had poked around in your private memories you would have been just as angry with me as Snape was."

"That has nothing to do with the issue at hand and you know it," Sirius replied. "Now I am going to repeat myself in asking you to walk across this room and come to Hogwarts with me."

"No."

It was a simple enough word to speak and yet it still got stuck in Harry's throat and came out hoarse and dry. He practically choked on it.

"It is not a request young man."

Harry took note that his godfather's voice didn't sound angry. Harry however knew the man well enough to know that when Sirius addressed him as young man he was wearing thin on his patience.

Harry didn't respond and he didn't make an effort to move either. He looked up at his godfather and watched as the man's face changed from irritated to just plain angry. For a split second Harry contemplated quickly apologizing before hurrying across the room to join his godfather. However, it took only one thought of the way Snape had been treated as a teenager and the way it had made him feel to keep him fully rooted to his spot next to the old armchair.

"_Harry James_," Sirius said firmly.

It was a warning that Harry was unfortunately all too familiar with.

Normally his godfather using his full name would cause him to snap to attention and do whatever it was that the man was requesting but today that was not the case. Although his stomach flipped and a hard lump in his throat formed, Harry stood his ground and didn't move so much as an inch in his godfather's direction.

"I'm not quite sure what has gotten into you but if you need to be punished before we go to Hogwarts that can certainly be arranged."

Harry swallowed hard hoping that doing so would somehow help his voice to come out normal and not sound as though he was about to start crying.

"I don't want to be punished," Harry replied, "and I don't want you to be cross with me."

"Your actions are proving otherwise."

"I just want you to understand," Harry tried to explain.

"I do understand however I'm afraid you don't understand me. What has happened to your arm is not excusable and I am not going to stand here and continue to argue with you. I am the adult here and you will do as I am asking you to."

Harry's stomach felt as though the giant squid was doing laps in it. Sirius was angry and Harry knew that if he didn't obey his godfather it would be his bum that would likely suffer.

"I'm not going to Hogwarts with you so you can murder Snape and if that means that you're going to spank me then fine,"

Harry watched as Sirius' features softened just the slightest bit.

"Who said anything about murdering Snape?"

"You already hated him and now this," Harry gestured to his arm.

"I am not going to murder Snape or do anything close to such a thing," Sirius retorted. "Now this is your final warning...let's go."

Harry shook his head firmly. He knew that he was playing with fire. He knew that it wasn't all that unlikely that Sirius wouldn't sit down in the armchair and put him over his knee and then take him to Hogwarts anyway, tear stained face and all. It was a risk Harry was willing to take though.

Sirius ran a hand down his face, sighing deeply. "Go to your room."

Harry looked up at his godfather. He was sure his face looked pitiful but he couldn't help it, being sentenced to his room could only mean one thing after all.

"Now please," Sirius said sternly. "I'm not going to stand here and continue to argue with you."

Harry swallowed hard before crossing the room. He walked past his godfather and up the first few stairs before he paused and looked back at Sirius.

"I'll be up in a moment," Sirius said. "Now go."

Harry couldn't help the first tear that leaked out of the corner of his eye before he made his way up the stairs and to his bedroom.

He closed the door behind him before collapsing onto his bed. He buried his face in his pillow willing himself not to cry. If Sirius wanted to punish him than he would take it like a man, especially if it meant that his godfather wasn't going to go to Hogwarts.

* * *

Sirius shook his head in defeat as he watched his godson climb the stairs.

He hadn't been prepared for Harry's reaction to going to Hogwarts nor had he been prepared for the boy suddenly jumping to Snape's defense.

Sirius ran a hand down his face.

He knew what his godson was expecting and he knew that under normal circumstances that if Harry had been as defiant as he just had Sirius would be climbing the stairs behind the young teenager, preparing himself to be the disciplinarian. Today though, he was finding the role a bit tiring.

A thought occurred to him that perhaps the best thing for both him and Harry would be a period of separation, give them both some time to cool off.

Sirius stood still listening until he heard Harry's bedroom door shut and then he crossed the room in four large steps and grabbed a handful of floo powder.

He stepped into the fireplace dropping the powder around him and in a clear voice spoke his destination, "Hogwarts."

* * *

Sirius walked quickly through the castle halls.

It always amazed him that no matter how many years passed since he was a student, an act as simple as walking the halls could bring a hundred memories rushing back to him.

The small nook in the wall where he had received his first kiss from a Ravenclaw named Sara Bedsole. The lavatory where he and James had hid out ditching an entire morning worth of classes. The empty classroom where they had bullied Snape one stormy afternoon when exploding snap had lost the interest it had once possessed.

Sirius shook the memories from his head as he approached his destination.

He didn't have a password but that hardly mattered to him, he had learned years ago that you couldn't let something as little as an unknown password stand in your way.

Moments later he was climbing the staircase. His anger had faded over the past ten minutes but that didn't stop him; he still felt that something needed to be said. He could agree with his godson that had the roles been changed, had it been say Remus' memories that Harry had invaded the outcome would have been quite different but that was still beside the point. The point in this matter was that Snape had crossed a line and Sirius wouldn't be doing his job as Harry's guardian if he didn't make sure that it was never crossed again.

He knocked once on the large oak door and less than a minute later in swung open revealing the older man sitting at his desk.

"Sirius my boy," Dumbledore smiled brightly. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"

"I need to speak with you about Harry."

Sirius wasted no time getting straight to the point. He was in no mood to make small talk or be offered a piece of muggle candy. He still had his godson at home to deal with and he wanted his visit with the Headmaster to go as quick and painlessly as possible.

"Harry?" Dumbledore asked as he gestured for Sirius to have a seat across from him. "I certainly hope everything is okay and that the boy is well."

"Harry is currently in his room at home," Sirius answered honestly. "I came to speak with you about a situation that he had with Snape earlier this week."

"If you are referring to the detention he received for fighting I must admit that I agree with Severus' punishment. As I am sure you remember from your own days in this castle, fighting is never permitted."

"It's not the detention that I mind but what happen during it."

Confusion swept over Dumbledore's face.

"Apparently Harry accidently wound up inside Snape's pensive."

Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak but Sirius continued before the older man had a chance.

"Now I'm not saying that I condone his behavior. On the contrary I happen to find it unacceptable despite the fact that it was Snape. Harry is quite aware that he has done wrong and I can guarantee that in the future he will not go meddling in other's memories."

"Now Sirius I am sure that Harry was not aware of what he was doing," Dumbledore smiled warmly.

"Aware or not, he knows better than to touch something that does not belong to him." Sirius paused as he gathered his thoughts. "It's what happened when Snape discovered him that concerns me."

"And what might that be?"

"He found him in his memory and grabbed his arm quite roughly to bring him back…roughly enough to leave a nasty bruise on his upper arm."

The twinkle in Dumbledore's eye diminished.

"Now I certainly can understand his anger towards the situation but I do not feel that he has a right to put a hand on my godson, or any student for that matter."

"Indubitably not," Dumbledore said firmly.

"I'll admit that I originally wanted nothing more than to go directly to Snape and speak with him about this but after further thought I decided that speaking to you would suffice."

For a moment Sirius speculated telling Dumbledore that it was Harry that had actually changed his mind but he decided against it. He hardly needed to share the inner workings on his relationship with his godson.

"I appreciate your bringing this to my attention," Dumbledore replied in a grave voice. "I will speak with Severus about this matter and I assure you it will not happen again."

"I know there was a time when physical punishment was acceptable at school however I feel as though that time has passed and-"

"Sirius I assure you that it is not acceptable," Dumbledore cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "While his actions are inexcusable I am sure that Severus simply lost his temper and you have my word that should it ever happen again Severus will no longer be employed at Hogwarts."

Sirius nodded. It didn't make the situation entirely better but it was what he needed to hear.

* * *

Harry rolled onto his back. He wiped the hot tears off of his face. He felt like such a child for crying. His godfather hadn't laid a hand on him. He hadn't even come up to his room yet but Harry couldn't shake the feeling that he had gone a step too far with the man.

It had been ages since his godfather had punished him. It wasn't even three hours ago that Sirius had said that he thought Harry was getting too old to be punished in such a way and already Harry had mucked that all up.

Harry was sure that when Sirius did come upstairs he was going to think his godson was a huge baby for crying already but he didn't care anymore. He had stopped his godfather from attacking Snape and at the time that mattered more than anything else.

Harry pulled himself into a sitting position, resting his back on the headboard of his bed. He knew his godfather well enough to know that he couldn't talk the man out of punishing him but Harry hoped that maybe if he got one more chance to state his case that there was a chance that Sirius would take pity on him.

He looked up at the Quidditch game taking place on his ceiling.

He could have gone to Hogwarts and talked Sirius out of it there, surely the man wouldn't have punished him in front of Snape especially not considering the circumstances for which they were going to see Snape in the first place. Harry forced the thought out of his head; it was too late now anyway.

He held his breath as he heard a soft knock on his door.

He wanted to answer it, to tell his godfather to come in, but he couldn't find his voice.

It didn't matter though, a second later the door pushed open and Sirius walked in the room.

Harry watched through tear stained eyes as the man crossed the room. He grabbed the desk chair with one hand and easily swung it around, depositing himself into it.

"I just got back from Hogwarts," Sirius stated calmly.

Harry felt his heart beat faster at these words. He practically jumped up.

"Sirius no!"

"I spoke with Dumbledore," Sirius continued in the same calm voice. "And I'll have you know that both he and Snape are still alive and breathing."

Harry felt his heart beat regain normality.

"What happened was not something I could just ignore. If I did I would be doing you an injustice and I cannot do that. Dumbledore needed to be aware of what happened and he now is and the case is closed."

Harry looked up at his godfather. He was at a loss for words. He hadn't expected for a moment that Sirius would be capable of handling the situation so calmly and rationally…not when it came to Snape.

"And judging by the tears on your face you were expecting me to come in here and turn you over my knee, but I have to be honest with you Harry…I'm tired and the last thing I want to do is punish you for standing up for what you believed to be right, even if you were standing against me."

Harry gave his godfather a questioning look.

"It may have taken me a few moments to understand why you were acting the way you were but I understand. Clearly what you saw in Snape's pensive made an impact on you and you were afraid of Snape and I reliving it today."

Harry nodded.

"I don't want you to be cross," Harry said in a soft voice.

"I promise you I'm not."

Harry let out a sigh of relief. The giant squid had suddenly disappeared from his stomach and the lump in his throat had vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

"And thank you."

"For being a prat?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"No you little mongrel," Sirius chuckled, "for being you and for showing me that I could still get my point across without acting like a hot headed teenager."

Harry smiled a genuine smile as he shrugged. "It was nothing…really."

**TBC...**


	48. Chapter 48

**Author's Note: I suck for taking so long to update this story. If you are actually still interested in reading this chapter, you are an amazing person. **

* * *

"I still want to talk to him."

"You're mental," Ron shook his head as he made a disapproving face.

"No seriously," Harry replied. "I feel like I should…like I need to. I want him to know that I don't agree with it."

"No seriously…you're mental," Ron half laughed. "He already nearly ripped your arm off and you want to go back for more?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "He didn't nearly rip my arm off."

"Whatever Harry, just let it go."

Harry took Ron's words into consideration. Perhaps he was being mental. A week had passed since Sirius had stormed into Hogwarts to talk to Dumbledore. Since then Harry had been to potions class and passed Snape several times in the halls. The man was ignoring him completely. It wasn't as if Snape ever really went out of his way to talk to him but something was still different. Twice in his last Potions class Harry had spoken out of turn and Snape hadn't so much as looked in his direction. Harry supposed that maybe this was a good thing, that maybe he should feel happy about Snape ignoring him instead of reprimanding him but he didn't, he felt horrible. He felt like he should explain how seeing what he had seen had made him feel. He felt like Snape should know that he didn't go crying to Sirius and that he had hardly wanted Sirius to do anything about it. Harry didn't know why he felt so strongly about Snape knowing these things but he couldn't stop the constant nagging voice in his head reminding him of it.

"Talking to Snape isn't going to help anything," Ron continued. "He's a miserable old git and he'll probably just freak out at you for even trying to talk to him."

Harry had to admit that Ron's scenario of the situation had crossed his mind. He definitely wouldn't be surprised if Snape did freak out on him or worse yet give him a detention for even trying to talk to him after what had happened. Harry had weighed his options though and he couldn't help but feel that regardless of how Snape reacted it would be worth it.

"Just forget about it. Seriously Harry it's like my mum always says, you don't poke a sleeping troll."

Harry swallowed a laugh at these words.

"Maybe you're right bu-"

"Of course I'm right! So you'll let it go now right?"

Harry shook his head. "No. You might be right but I have to at least try and talk to him."

"Fine," Ron replied in a worried voice. "But don't say that I didn't warn you."

* * *

"Well I don't think it's a horrible idea. I just think that given the history between you two and given what you now know about how your father and Sirius treated him, perhaps he might want to just forget about the whole ordeal instead of being forced to remember it even more."

Harry let these words sink in as he followed Hermione down the wall of books. He was silent as she reached up and pulled a rather large one off of the shelf.

"Think about it," she continued as she turned on her heel and walked back towards the table she was occupying. "If you had a horrible experience that you didn't want Malfoy to know about and he somehow found out…witnessed it even…would you want him to come to you days later and bring it up again or would you want him to just forget it?"

"Well if he was going to apologize and explain himself I'd want him to," Harry responded as he took the seat across from Hermione.

She shook her head as she opened the large book, flipping to a page in the middle. "You're lying."

"No I'm not," Harry argued in a voice much louder than he anticipated.

Madam Pince shot him a displeasing look from across the room before she shushed him loudly.

"You are," Hermione replied in a calm quiet voice. "You wouldn't want Malfoy to come reminding you of things that you'd just want to forget and I personally think that you should show the same respect for Professor Snape."

"But I want him to know that I didn't agree with what I saw," Harry replied in a much lower voice. "I want him to know that I didn't want Sirius to come here and complain and that I feel horrible for how they acted towards him."

"That's nice Harry but I doubt he wants your sympathy," Hermione replied as she flipped the page of her book.

"So you think I should just ignore how I feel?" Harry asked. "Just let it go?"

Hermione shrugged. "If it's bothering you that much than yeah, say something I guess. But don't say I didn't warn you if Snape doesn't want to hear what you have to say."

* * *

Harry stood in front of the large door that led to Snape's office. He knew the man was in there as he had heard movement on the other side; somehow though Harry could not find the courage to knock on the door.

It always amazed him that when it came to trying a new trick on his broom, venturing into the forbidden forest, or running off on some crazy life threatening adventure he felt no fear at all but when it came to doing simple things such as talking to Snape he could literally feel his knees shaking with fear.

For a moment he contemplated the thought that perhaps his friends were right. Maybe he was absolutely balmy to think for even a moment that talking to Snape was a good idea. Maybe his best bet would be to turn around as quickly as he could and retreat to his common room and let this whole horrible incident go without another word every being spoken about it.

He knew he couldn't do that though. He had seen his mother stand up for Snape and despite the fact that Snape had completely cut her down for doing so, he couldn't help but think that if she were alive she would want Harry to fix things with the man.

With the vision of his mother approving of his actions in his head, Harry slowly raised his hand and knocked twice on Snape's door.

The movement he had heard on the other side suddenly stopped before the door slowly swung open on its own accord.

Snape took one look at the teenager standing in the hallway and rolled his eyes.

"Potter?"

"I uh I was hoping I could uh talk to you?" Harry hated himself for sounding so nervous, so unsure of himself.

"I suppose if I refuse you'll cry to your blasted godfather once more?" Snape sneered.

Harry quickly shook his head. If possible, Snape's words made him feel ten times worse about the entire situation.

"I never cried to Sirius. I didn't even want him to know," Harry managed to reply without stumbling over his words.

Snape looked intrigued by these words. His face quickly changed though and once more he looked nothing but annoyed. "I'm extremely busy Potter and have absolutely no time to engage in a conversation."

"I just wanted to apologize," Harry quickly replied before Snape could slam the door in his face. "I never meant to end up in your memory. I think that what I saw was absolutely horrible and I'm sorry that I ever saw it."

He spoke so quickly that he was afraid that Snape couldn't even understand the jumbled mess of words that came out of his mouth.

However, as he watched the man's features soften he was sure Snape heard every word.

"That's all," Harry continued awkwardly when Snape didn't respond. "I just thought you should know that."

For a moment, Harry thought that Snape was going to respond gently, but within seconds his face hardened once more. "I don't know what in Merlin's name you are going on about Potter but you can stop this instant. As I said I am busy."

Harry nodded. He knew that Snape had heard him loud and clear and despite the fact that the man refused to acknowledge it, Harry had a feeling that he still appreciated it.

"I'll go then," Harry replied with a nod.

Snape didn't respond to this but merely flicked his wrist causing the door to shut once more, though Harry noted it didn't slam but rather shut gently.

Harry felt a weight lift from his body.

He may not have gotten the verbal response that he would have preferred but somehow he knew that Snape believed him and forgave him and that was all that mattered.

**TBC...**


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